likely to give way under their weight, and precipitate them into the river. Several men lost their lives in Fraser River, in the early days of the gold discovery, by neglecting this precaution. In crossing from one bank of a river to the other above a rapid, be careful to ascend the river for a considerable distance before attempting to do so; and then make the crew paddle as hard as they can, keeping the head of the canoe, if anything, rather down the stream, as in the case of a rapid river you would only lose ground by trying to fight against it. In descending a river, the traveller should keep a look-out ahead for snags and places where the river is narrowed in between hills, as in such places there is nearly sure to be a rapid which may be so bad as to render navigation impossible. In all cases before descending an unknown rapid, he should land and inspect it throughout _its entire length_ before attempting to run it in the canoe. When descending a rapid, care must be taken to keep steerage way on the canoe, as this will be needed to avoid rocks, or whirlpools. These latter are very serious dangers, as they generally do not remain fixed in one spot, but move about within a certain distance of a centre. There are, however, in most cases, short intervals when they break up, and that is the time to make a dash past them. To attempt this when they are in full swing could only end in the loss of the canoe and its occupants. _Boating._ When a traveller has to proceed for some distance overland before reaching a river or lake he purposes to navigate, he must of necessity provide himself with a boat constructed in such a manner as to be easily transported, either by being built in sections, that can be put together and taken to pieces at pleasure, or by taking one of the collapsible boats, such as Berthon’s. If the former, he cannot do better than to have one built of Spanish cedar, on the same plan as that which was constructed for Sir H. M. Stanley, by Mr. James Messenger, of Teddington, with such modifications as may be necessary, when the means of transport, and the nature of his journey, have been duly considered. Collapsible boats, though very useful for ferrying across lakes or rivers, cannot, where a boat of other construction is available, be recommended for a continued exploration. If the exploration is to be commenced at the mouth of the river, a whale-boat will be found to be the best form of boat for the following reasons. Being steered by an oar, it is more easily handled in surf or a rapid; it is generally faster than boats of the same size of ordinary build; it will carry a good cargo, sail well off the wind, and is the best boat built for crossing the bars of rivers, or landing through a surf. Such a boat can generally be purchased at foreign ports, with oars and sail, and should be well overhauled before starting.