Tue VoyaGE To THE ARCTIC 61

ocean that he reached; naturally, when the
Pacific was his goal, he expresses no delight
on reaching the Arctic. He was not able to
advance the simplest of all proofs—the salt-
ness of the water; for so great is the volume
of the Mackenzie River that the water remains
fresh for many miles beyond its mouth. Sir
John Franklin examined the coast thirty-five
years later, and he doubted whether Macken-
zie could have reached salt water in a canoe
even without any ice to stop him. He pays
tribute to Mackenzie’s bravery in venturing
as far from shore as he did in so fragile a
vessel, and commends the accuracy of his
observations: “The survey of the Mackenzie
made on this Expedition differs very little in
its outline from that of its discoverer, whose
general correctness we had often occasion to
admire”’—a notable compliment from the pro-
fessional explorer to the intrepid fur-trader.
It was long before Mackenzie was given full
credit for his discoveries, but there remains
to-day, of course, not the shadow of a doubt
that to him belongs the full honour of dis-
covering the great river which bears his name,