marking the four hundredth anniversary of John Cabot's journey in quest of the Western World, and passage thence to the gorgeous kingdoms of Asia, naturally revives days when European traders, bearing the standard of a broader commercial intelligence, if not higher civilization, coquetted with the East, only to meet with gruesome rebuffs. Brigandage and bloodshed followed all venturing into Turcomania, Upper India and the fastnesses and deserts of Thibet; and while pioneers were alive to the magnificence of Cathay, the splendours of Polo's Zipangu, the colossal resources and vast possibilities of the languorous Orient, those whose necks had been spared wisely decided that existing advantages were, to some extent, chimerical; as thousands have done since they looked yearningly towards the West for a highway to the promised land.

No wonder King Henry squandered

the continent long before Columbus reached the Orinoco. Why not admit that the area was too great for one man to discover, and that until Nansen, making a second attempt, stands on the earth's pivot, sees latitude disappear, and, by a twist of his heel, "travels every degree of longitude," or Andree and his companions hover over the North Pole, sage or scientist should pause ere rendering even a tentative verdict upon the boundaries of this continental domain?

To be sure, the neighbouring Republic seldom suffers from excessive modesty, the very best being never too good to claim, even though the property or privilege of others; still, if monopoly is craved, Canadians would doubtless meet their demands, yielding a modicum of the glory, the achievements, the fame of Christopher Columbus, while canonising the man who sailed from Bristol John Cabot. Equally would they give credit to those distinguished explorers, Lewis and Clarke, while reserving their allegiance for the man who inscribed upon the rock-bound shores of the Pacific, "Alexander Mackenzie - from Canada by land, July 22nd, 1793." Captain Clarke and his companion, Lieutenant Lewis, certainly left the Atlantic coast in June, 1803, reaching the mouth of the Columbia in 1805. It must be remembered, however, that trading-posts had been established by Canadian merchants from the River St. Lawrence to the Rocky Moun

enterprise, or the heroic

navigator,

Columbus, willingly

gave the best years of a patient life, battling with the elements of physical nature. Persevering, self-reliant, intrepid-who more competent to assist in solving the mystic problem of the Great Unknown? Some authorities speculatively affirm that Cabot, sailing to the West, reached Labrador, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland; it is more probable-if maps and charts possess virtue that he sighted Nova Scotia, or the Island of Cape Breton, arriving at the northern portion of

tains, and from Hudson's Bay to Peace River, and explorations extended from Lake Superior to the Arctic Ocean, when the entire region from the Missouri to the Pacific had not even heard the white man's footfall. Surely, then, one of the greatest colonies of the Empire can reasonably claim for Sir Alexander Mackenzie the honour of having made the first overland journey, north of the Gulf of Mexico, to the Pacific Ocean, and such men as Simon Fraser and David Thompson, whose perilous expeditions resulted in the discovery of the sources of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, as having preceded many of those now specially eulogized by American enthusiasts. John Jacob Astor's company in Oregon; the achievements of overland travellers from Utah and Nevada to California; Wyeth's tramp from Massachussetts to Oregon, certainly proved what dangers were encountered and difficulties overcome by energy, resolution and undaunted courage. On the other hand, all the western country now forming portions of the Dominion was explored by Canadians, or those trading within Canadian boundaries. Flaccid muscle never was indigenous to this soil; hence, a little self-glorification is excusable, particularly as scant recognition has been vouchsafed those early pioneers either by the Empire proper or her robust colonies. It is reasonable, then, that, amid the pomp and splendour of a commemorative Cabot revival, those who pierced the interior of America and gave practical form to what else would have been but the dream of a navigator, should not be forgotten.

Truly, there were giants in the earth in those days; a marvellous race of men faithful unto death to that which duty dictated; a galaxy of memorable characters; a group of Titans, who trembled only before the phantom-Failure. Not alone Alexander Mackenzie; long ere this time, by land and sea and river, hardy pioneers had

found a labour of love in the wilds of Lakes Huron, Ontario and Superior. The French pioneers under Champlain had ascended the Ottawa in 1615; Fathers Raymbault and Jogues had (1640) penetrated the north shore of Lake Superior, and reached Sault Ste. Marie. Albanel had (1671) accomplished an overland expedition from Quebec to Hudson's Bay, and Noyon visited the Lake of the Woods; La Verendrye (1731-39) had reached the Saskatchewan, and his son, Chevalier La Verendrye, had penetrated within the Rocky Mountain zone; LaSalle had pierced the interior of America to die by the hands of assassins, while the pious Friar Ribourde (1680), breviary in hand, had fallen beneath the war-clubs of savages, for whose salvation he had renounced courtly honours and preferments.

Nor should the agents of the great fur companies, notably of two, the "Hudson's Bay" and the "NorthWest," before the consolidation of those rival concerns in 1821, be forgotten. Only men of iron nerve and indomitable courage could have penetrated the Rocky Mountains in those early days, establishing posts at various points in British Columbia (then New Caledonia). In 1805, we find them on Macleod Lake; in 1806, on Stewart Lake; in 1807, on the Fraser, then called the Jackanut, at Fort George. They are discovered in 1808, coursing the Thompson River; in 1811, facing the dangers of the Columbia, from its northern bend at Boat Encampment to the mouth of the great stream. We find them in what is now Oregon, in Washington Territory, and far to the north, within the shadows of the Arctic Circle. Wherever trade justified t eir operations, these men forced a pathway to its very centre.

It was ordained, however, that Alexander Mackenzic should become the central figure of an epoch in western annals, rendering services to civiliza. tion far in advance of any interior explorer. He brought a new world into

existence; opened a new field; inspired a school of hardy enthusiasts; and, ere passing to his long home, realized in a spirit of humility, yet with justifiable pride, that he had accomplished something worthy, something beneficial, something ennobling, something entitling him to the love and respect of future generations. His is the story of a great man's triumph over obstacles seemingly insurmount

able, the chronicle of events pregnant with vital consequences to the British Empire; for to-day the Dominion of Canada exercises sovereignty over the greater part of the American continent; two oceans are con

nected by links of steel, while Great Britain controls the shortest and safest route to her possessions in the East. One intrepid spirit, inspiring those whom he directed, accomplished marvellous work, achieving a splendid victory over the combined forces of Nature. Hence, to chronicle the historic journey, with all its graphic incidents; to paint the pictures of brave men struggling to assert man's supremacy; to describe hair-breadth escapes from flood, hand-to-hand encounters with vindictive savages, is not the design of this brief record; suffice to know that perils were successfully encountered, difficulties grappled with and overcome. Across snow-packed, tree-strewn gorges; over widely-gaping crevasses; through swollen streams and cataracts, roaring above rocky beds; through canyons, where human life had never before pulsated; be

SEBASTIAN CABOT.

neath crashing boulders, and along ledges seemingly suspended in midair; forcing a pathway through trackless mazes of dense forests, these crusaders accomplished that which entitles them to the love, the reverence, the admiration of all generations.

One can imagine the interest awakened in the mind of Alexander Mackenzie, as Simon Frazer, fifteen years afterwards (1808), arrived at Fort George, and was advised by the Indians to turn back or perish the very point where Mackenzie decided to retrace his steps, thus reaching the coast by a shorter route. In Senator Masson's quotations from Fraser's Journal, in "Les Bourgeois de la Compagnie cu Nord-Ouest," the appalling dangers are graphically described. Narrow canyons, steep precipices contracting the roaring waters, "turbulent, noisy, and awful to behold;'

rapids, cascades, intercepting rocks, the portaging of heavy loads, crossing ravines, passing along the declivity of mountains-all conspired to strike terror into the hearts of the bravest. "Spuzzum was reached, where now stands the Canadian Pacific Railwaystation, a few miles east of Yale. Little did Simon Fraser dream, as he gazed upon the scene, that those were born who would witness the opening of a great trans-continental railway through this weird and apparently impassable country; that against the face of the rocks, 150 feet above the boisterous river, rails would be laid, and trestles brought into requisition, and the roar of the locomotive heard amid the crags and gorges and peaks of these terribly impressive wilds.

Poor Fraser, he did his work well! David Thompson, too, after whom another great river is named, should not be forgotten; for these great men, Mackenzie, Frazer, and Thompson, are one in historic importance. Thompson, in 1800, made an unsucessful attempt to reach the coast by way of a pass supposed to be that since utilized by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Unequal to the task of fighting hordes of Indians, he returned. In 1807, however, he went in a southerly direction, entered Howe's Pass, and reached the Columbia and Kootenay Lake, the sufferings of himself and his men being described as terrible. A long line of explorers followed: Gabriel Franchere, Ross Cox, Alexander Henry, D. W. Harinon, John Macleod, Sir George Simpson, Alexander Ross, David Douglas, Robert Campbell, and hosts of others, each contributing to the volume of information. A son of John Macleod, Malcolm, at present resides in Ottawa; his father rendered great service to the country, being an intrepid explorer, and a very able man. Mr. Malcolm Macleod was an earnest advocate of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, writing under the nom de plume of "Britannicus." He is universally re

spected, but, being reduced in circumstances, is consequently without friends. Talk about republics being ungrateful; savage or civilized, monarchical or despotic - governments, like individuals, too frequently forget to reward according to merit.

Consult any standard Encyclopædia, one may find references to, but no distinct epitome of, the career of Simon Fraser, the explorer. True, James Baillie Fraser is mentioned, a diplomatist, traveller and author, who displayed great skill in water colours; and Simon Fraser, Baron Lovatt, a Jacobite intriguer and "born traitor," who appears to have caused so great a stir in courtly circles that the edge of an axe was requisite to suppress his exuberant vitality. But Simon Fraser, the intrepid western explorer, is not included. Well, perhaps the ame of David Thompson, another giant in the field of discovery, may be found. Not so! Sir Benjamin Thompson appears, a brilliant scholar and philanthropist, born in Massachussetts, who, when in London, devoted much time to the study of "how to cure smoking chinnies," and to the founding of an institution designed to make "vicious and abanconed people happy;" then Thomas Perronet Thomp-on, a political economist, and writer of a treatise on musical acoustics, forming the basis of the "Tonic Sol-fa system of music;" and poor James Thompson, who wrote the "City of Dreadful Night," and lived and died in an atmosphere of opium and alcohol; next, Sir Charles W. Thompson, a student of the biological conditions of the depths of the sea; then James Thompson, the poet, whose generous publish r allowed him three guineas for the "Seasons." These are remembered; but Simon Fraser and David Thompson, who proved how valuable heritage the Empire possessed in New Columbia, seemingly had no existence, either in the flesh or in the hearts of unappreciative countrymen.

Not until recently have the direct successors to this British portion of the New World put forth any effort to glorify the memories of those adventurous spirits. Where stands the marble bust? Where rests the storied urn, indicative of rational appreciation and national gratitude? Alas! to know human nature is to lose faith in humanity! The Rocky Mountains, God's own creations, these perpetuate the fame of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, while two mighty streams, in their wild career through gorges and canyons, proclaim the deeds of heroes, but sound eternal reproaches to those who have forgotten the dead.

True, Simon Fraser was offered an imperial title, dying at St. Andrew's, Quebec, at the age of 89 years, in abject poverty, a miserable pittance of a pension being vouchsafed his relatives; David Thompson, chivalrous, loyal and self-sacrificing, unable to procure the simple necessaries of life. passing from the scene at Longeuil, near Montreal, on the 18th February, 1857, at the age of 87. One turns in disgust from evidence of neglected worth, fervently praying that a day may dawn witnessing the recognition of merit while.

the warm flush of life pulsates in the veins, not awaiting posterity's verdict to glorify and perpetuate it by mocking eulogies on stone. Bread sustains life-marbled laudation is for departed greatness.

If monumental columns commemorative of Canadian explorers are few, a similar paucity of historic paintings is noticeable; nor can the plea be entered that native artists were incapable; the truth is, those competent to perform met with scant encourage

ment. Some galleries contain a limited number of pictures, chief amongst which that of a swarthy gentleman, rather gaudily apparelled, bearing a sword of somewhat modern design, his sea-legs evidently in prime condition, his right hand shading his eyes from perpetual sunshine, while surroundings suggest a generous assortment of early nautical appliances. This is "Columbus discovering America"; failing a gentle reminder, the

ALEXANDER MACKENZIE.

vast array of sanguinary natives on the distant shore, tumbling over one another in mad frenzy and excitement, might naturally create doubt whether, in reality, America was not discovering Columbus! Tomahawks and feathers have at all times possessed attractions for artistic genuis; in some cases, if the Indians were half as bad as painted they must have been an exceedingly scurvy lot. However, men like Catlin in the United States, and Kane in Canada, rescued