10 THE GREAT DENE RACE. the aboriginal stocks of both Americas. But the very broadness of that book’s scope and the lack of documents which can only be found in the archives of such an important institution as the Smithsonian, made it an utter im- possibility for the learned ethnologist to do full justice in a single volume to such a vast subject. As it is, Powell’s effort is, and will probably remain for a long time to come, the most systematic and generally accurate nomenclature of the northern American linguistic families yet attempted. Barring the queerness of some of the names insisted on, it well deserves to be regarded as the great authority on the special field it covers. Nevertheless, as regards the area occupied by the northern Dénés, some of that author’s statements and the corresponding features of his map are certainly open to question, while a few more are altogether indefensible. Though fairly well versed in the literature touching on that race, the compiler does not seem to have ever heard of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s map of 1857, which would have spared him a regrettable error. Nor does he mention in his synonymy for the name of the stock such excellent authorities on its habitat, &c., as John McLean’, Sir John Richardson®, Lieut. W. H. Hooper, Fred. Whymper‘, Bishop Taché®, or even Father Petitot®, though they all wrote after 1836, the year which was chosen as the limit or starting point of the chronological period prior to which no works or authorities would be considered, without counting Capt. G. Back? and Dr. R. King®, whose respect- ive works appeared in the course of that year. Hence we must not wonder too much when we see in the extreme southeast a large tract of land which rightfully belongs to, and is occupied by, the Dénés handed over to the Algonquins. As a matter of fact, an area fully equal to five degrees of latitude by about ten of longitude is erroneously attributed to the latter immediately to the southeast of the mouth of Churchill River, a tributary of Hudson Bay. Not only Lakes Wollaston and Reindeer or Caribou, but even Isle-a-la-Crosse and Cold Lakes (55° N. lat.) lie within Déné territory. On the lower Mackenzie, the Eskimo fishing grounds are also made by Powell’s map to project considerably through a region which is in reality the ms “Notes of a Twenty-Five Years’ Service in the Hudson’s Bay Territory”. 2 vols. London, 1849. “Arctic Searching Expedition”, 2 vols. London, 1851. “Ten Months among the Tents of the Tuski”. London, 1853. “Travel and Adventure in the Territory of Alaska”. London, 1868. Esquisse sur le Nord-Ouest de lAmérique. Paris, 1869. ° Ftude de la Nation Montagnaise. Lyons, 1866; Monographie des Déné-Dindjié, Paris, 1876; On the Athabasca District, London, 1883, etc., etc. 7 “Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the Mouth of the Great Fish River”. London, 1836. * “Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Arctic Ocean”. London, 1836. -~ w 5