a drop of 1,000 feet. Nearing Lucerne, the most —
easterly station in British Columbia, the head-
waters of Fraser River are noted at 3,728 feet
above sea-level and a view is seen of Mount Fitz-—
william, 9,742 feet. Lucerne, until removal of the
divisional point to Jasper in 1923, was a good-
sized village with about 300 people, mostly train-
men, mechanics, and other railway employees,
guides, and trappers, but the majority have moved
to Jasper. Lucerne is prettily located on Yellow-
head Lake, a small lake within the townsite drain-
ing to Fraser River, which rises in mountains
south-west of Mount Pelee. Thirty snow-capped
mountains and many beautiful glaciers can be
seen from Lucerne, with Yellowhead Mountains,
saw-toothed peaks giving it the local name of
Seven Sisters, rising as a background to the lake.
An old Indian trail leads from Lucerne round the
base of Mount Fitzwilliam through a pass to the
mountains beyond—a virgin country of much inter-
est to the alpinist, with some large ice-fields and
unclimbed and unexplored mountains. About 5-
miles from Lucerne is the summit of Yellowhead
Pass and the Alberta boundary-line, where Mount
Robson merges into Jasper Park.

McLENNAN VALLEY.

McLennan Valley, drained by winding, slow, and
shallow McLennan River north-west, is 3 to 4
miles wide between the Fraser and the low divide,
on which is Cranberry Lake between it and Canoe
River. The Canadian National Railway follows
the easterly side of the valley. The valley consists ;
generally of series of benches, with almost imper-
ceptible rise to about 200 feet above the river,
which follows close to the mountains on the west.
Most of the country is open, with light jack-pine
and poplar, and contains many swamps. Soil
varies, but is mostly sandy. Cuts on the wagon-
road from Tete Jaune to Packsaddle Creek in places
show clear deep silt to silt on gravel, or sand and
gravel. Subsoil is clay. In places under the east-
ern range the clay appears on the surface; in
others it is not far below. Generally the land near
the river is better and freer of stones than near
the mountain, but occasionally the reverse holds
true. Two or three sections have milling-timber;
the greatest part, though, is burnt over. A test-pit
on a dry flat, with alder, poplar, jack-pine, and
willow, found water at 3 feet. Along the river-
banks are numerous creeks heading in springs. In
dry swamps is about a foot of peaty loam, with
water in sand below. Lower hillsides appear to