Tue Last Years 167

Albion in the sixteenth century, Mackenzie
first made its realization possible. By daring,
without support or encouragement, to con-
tinue his quest for a passage by land across
the continent through toil and danger to suc-
cess, he linked the Pacific Coast with terri-
tories already in British possession before any
rivals had occupied the field. By urging on
his return the immense importance of follow-
ing up his discoveries through the occupation
of the coast by British subjects, he advocated
clearly for the first time the grand design
which has been fulfilled in the Dominion of
Canada. By encouraging the North West
Company, when he was its most influential
member, to push westwards beyond the
Rockies, he inspired the first faint accomplish-
ment of that vision, in spite of the apathy of
the government and the jealousy of rival
interests. By repeating, after numerous fail-
ures and rebuffs, his efforts to unite all the
trading interests in the North-West in one
strong concern, he helped, probably more than
anyone else, to secure that result, and with
it the effective occupation of modern British