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T
t)U
THE
i/ J*ROM
Q:cini0|jainin^
TO
tmrn m
BY
C. A. M. PARADIS, 0. M. I.
MISSIONARY.
DEDICATED TO
rilE HONORABLE H. JIEliClER
PR/M£ MINISTER
OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
— — ^>^<^
1900.
F
FROM
TEMISKAMIKQ
TO
HUDSON BAY
BY
C. A. M. PARADIS, 0. M, I,
MISSIOXARV
DEDICATED TO
THE HONORABLE HONORE MERCIER
PRIME MINISTER
OF THE
PROVINCE OP QUEBEC.
1900.
i
V ■
/ y, DEDICATED
\h PRJME MiNiSTER
™ 9S^h
OF THE
PROVJNCEOF QUEBEC.
V
DEDICATION
TO
Tlic Honorable llonore Mercier
PIUME MIXISTKU
OF Tin*:
PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
HONOKAIiLK vSlR,
Amidst the j>;eneral applause of all Cana-
dians for the impulse you have given to the
work of colonization in this Province which
is so happy to behold you as her Prime Mi-
nister, allow an humble missionary, who also
loves his country and those who work for the
welfare of his nation, to pay his modest tribute
to the great enterprise of the national regene-
ration.
At a patriotic banquet tendered to you by
your admirers of Montreal, and later on, at the
opening of the session, I heard you (through
the voice of the Press) express the desire to
extend as far as Hudson Bay, the frontiers of
- IV
tlif I*ro\ iiu'c of (Jufhi r. Tliat Uiiiloiv, yon
said, belongs tu us, aiul wc mean tu take pos-
scssiiiii of it.
I heartily applaud, Mr. Premier, this patrio-
tic design, and I wish to coiitrihute to it to
the full extent of nn- p(^>r talent.
This is why I l>e.!L; the honor to j)resLMit you
to day with this little memorial which I have
compiled hastily from notes j^^athered in the
course of m>' journeys throuj^h those re«>'!ons
you have found worthy of your attention.
Mv work as missionarv enables me to corro-
borate the narrations of the Rev. F'ather W
banel, which you have quoted so opportunely.
Like the learned Jesuit, I have lived in the
same climates, and admired the soil and pro-
ducts, which two hundred yeai-s ago, delii^hted
the sight of the first pioneers of the Gospel who
set foot on that part of the Continent.
So many treasures have remained hidden
for centuries, or I should rather say, they have
been laid aside for the time when our jx'ople,
spreading in all directions, want only a favour-
able locality to establish their numerous off
springs, and to strenghten, in expanding the
generous race of French blood who had for its
cradle the solitary' shores of the New World.
The North has always given birth to those
;
hi
(11
a]
stroll}^" and vij^orous races called !>>• (itul, at
(lifrcrvut periods, to rej^encratc the ener\ated
and waverin*^- nations ortliesoutliern countries.
" Latera A(|nilonis Civitas re^is Maj^nii "
(Ps 47, vs 2) '' The scat of the Alniij^htv stands
towards the Afpiilon."
This almighty Kin<^^ is jesns-Christ reij^ninj^
over a peoj^le which is wholK' devoted to him ;
and what nation into this day has ])ccn more
trne to the sacred traditions of its faith ? WIl
nation then, 1""=^ i better ri};ht to found this
vast cni]iin' of the AcpiiU^n where the alnii;^dity
Kin}^ shall establish his throne
l''(jrward towards the North, Canadians !
The North pole can only frighten cowards ; it
will always exercise its ma^nietic attraction
over our race of the iron arm an<l dauntless
courage. However, there is no qncstion
of <;oing to the pole jnst now. An nnrivalled
tenitory is opening close to ns ; nnrivalled
for its expanse, the richness of soil, the salu-
brilv of climate and the beant\- of its lands-
capes.
You shall .see, Mr Prime Minister, in this
memorial, although it may be incomplete,
that all those qualities exist in profusion in
this region which you have planned to annex
to our province.
l\Ia\' these lew ixnt^cs, written, ratlie- with
tlie heart of a patri<it than witli the learning-
of a scholar, he of some use to you. I wouhl l)e
happ)' to realize hy this means two wishes
equalh' clear to me : that of bein<i^ useful to my
countr\', and at the same time to .i^^ive a token of
admiration and gratitude to the distiu'^^'uished
friend of whom, I have the honor to he,
The most obedient servant,
C. A. M IWRADIS, Pst, O. M. T.
Rufialo N. Y.
I
Jimcjtli, 1 888,
%f'
FROM
TEMiSKAMING
TO
ni^DSON BA\
PAirr MUST.
fJlOXICRAT. CILANIE OVKR THE KEOIOX SITUATED
liETWEEX LAKE TEMIrtKA^UXG AND
JAMES HAY.
Soil Climate. Products.
("HAPTER I
SOIL.
I have a fixed idea on this vast ('(nintry,
(tim« will toll if I am mistaken.) My sincere
boliof iH, that all the land situated between
Lake Temiskaniinj^,^ and James Bay is a pro-
longation of the famous prairies of the
North- West. Two principal facts lead me to
believe in this snpposition : 1 « The configu-
ration of the land 2 ^ The nature of the soil.
Confif/iiratiott of the Lrnid.
Onco \v(^ have loft, boliind (I sIimII not ovon
a:iy the hoii^^ht of ImikIs) but the cluii!! of tho
LauroiitiflcH, >vo jjorccivo, up to the shoroM
of tho Hudson IJay, that is to say for luni-
(Irods of leagues to the North and West, a
])lain of clay where niountainsareoxceptiouH,
under the s]iai)e of slight undulations or as
isolated peaks similar to tliose of Mount
Koyal or Belo>il Mountain in the vallev of
the St Lawrence. In this connection, I expect
to surprise a great many people aiul todiiVer
a little in opinion with the narrations of
many travellers. I divide these travellers
into three very different categories. It is
important to make them known for the
proper understanding of this work. The first
category comprises the scholars, the specia-
lists whose object it is to study and to make
others benefit by it. Though the missionary
aims nt a loftier end than this one, ho does
not think it, unworthy of his sublime mission
to unite both, in associating in the same
enthusiasm, the love of God and that of his
country.
The second category of travellers ia more
numerous and ia formed of business men at-
tracted by the charms of fortune towards
the fur trade or the lumber business. This
second class has but little to communicate
for the excellent reason that it has secrets
preferable kept by themselves, or per-
3 —
haps silonco is the best safo^iiard f()r their
interest. From this category s|)rin^ forth a
third wliich is k^j^ioii. They are the workmen,
paid for tlie labor they perform for the
himber business, the exportation of furs,
goods, provisions, and so forth
Tlie knowded^e of these latter is very
limited and consequently, they make many
ineorreet statements. If you want impreju-
diced information, do not ask them for it,
because they will invariably give you this
same answer ? It is a wild country, sir, with
no comfort whate/er ; you only meet with
rapids, rocks and precipices fit to break your
neck. I*oor people, you inay well have pity
on them, but you must believe only half of
what they tell you. It is (piite natural they
should find this land so inhospitable. They
care not for poetry and even less for science,
continually fightingwith the elements in the
f(n'ni of winds, currents and rapids ; their
feet aching with sores from the roughness
of the ])ortages ; their heads stre' -hed over
the oars, or crushed under the weight of
packs, they notice in nature only what
brings them new sufferings.
A hundred miles of calm water means for
them three days of drudgeiy ; and a rock
lying across a portage becomes a mountain.
This is more than enough to make one dis-
like a country for ever. There is no other
means of travelling through a forest than
by means of lakes and rivers. Forwar<l !
then to the rapids and portages I Should you
2
_4 —
happen to nuiko your w.'iy t]iroii«^h tho
w^oods, the horizon, honnihul hy tlio trees,
prevents your forniin|j^ a rijj^ht idea of tho
distance. If you climb up a liill, tlie nearc^st
elevation to yours will at once attnict your
eye.
The g-reat reason forthinking mountainous
a soil covered Av^ith ff)rest, is, that in our ci-
vilized countries, woods are se(;n cn\]y on
mountains, and on spots unfit forcultivation.
But, on the ether hand, experiments have
proved that with the clearing of lands the
riiggedness of the gi'ound seem ■ to melt
away and to be levelled by the plouglishare
and where you expected to iUid a mountain
I\\(scifurridf cuius 7nus. I do not hesitate for
one moment to believe that, by the time our
immense forests, have dissappeared, our
grand sons will besurprised to find themselves
inaplain, identical to that of their neighbors
of Manitoba, with the advantage of having
an abundance of waterand wood in quantity.
II
Nalnre of the soil.
The nature of the soil, in my opinion, is an
argument not less convincing than the
configuration of the land. Those who have
visited Manitoba and Temiskaming, declare
its lands to be absolutely similar to those of
the North-West, viz : A clay, of an average
depth for 20 to 30 feet, overlaid by a vegetable
mould black orbrown but alwaysexceedingly
rich and friable.
— ;)
Oil t\w, lowost li'vc'ls, tliore sooiiis to re-
Tiiaiii thick siMlimonts of jilliivion, Avhich
woiiM indicate the former presence of some
lar^e lakes, to-day non-existent. It is impos-
sible <o form an adequate idea of such rich-
ness. Mr Oliver Armstrong, the intrepid
pioneer of the Canadian pacific colonization
Co. who is certainly an authority in tlu^se
matters, declared to me enthusiastically
that he had not met vyith anythinjj;' so beau-
tiful between Manitoba and the Kocky
Mou?itains.
I (irmly belieye that all Isay about Temis-
kaming ap])lies equally to all that country
extendiu}^ on both sides of tlie height of
lands to th,^ 52- parallel latitude of Albani
on Hudson Bay having seen it with my own
eyes. And further yt for hundreds of leagues
toward the North- West and the North. The
missionai'ies who have extended their tra-
vels in that direction, and the Indians too
make the same asses tions. All this expanse,
measuring more than a thousand miles,
Avould he but the width of a zone of clay
bounded to the west by the Rocky Moun-
tains, and connected to the latter })y the
table land of Lake St John. This sui)position
is suggested to me not so much by my per-
sonal experience as by the collective testi-
mony of all my brotli'>rs, the missionaries,
who have traversed the dill'ei'ent regi(nis
from ice-bound Alaska to the arid peaks
which form a division betv.een Labradorand
the eastern side of Hudson Bay. The geolo-
— 6 —
Joists ami the iinss>onaries aro unaniinous to
doelare that tlie eliains of mountains form
l)ut a very slij^ht portion of tlie steppes of
North America, an J that the soil is generally
composed of a deep and ft^rtile clay.
CHAPTER II
CLIMATR
If we admit the above mention ccl as facts
we find ourselves fai-e to ffure with a situa-
tion which should he seriously considered
for the benefit of our national interests : if
the beauty of the; climate corres])onds to the
richness and the immensity of the soil, this
new country will certainlv rank in the fu-
ture with the greatest of the world, for the
reason that one day or another, it Avill he-
come the seat of a great agricultural ])eo])le.
I shall now say a few words about the cli-
mate, this is a most delicate question people
are so generally prejudiced against Hudson
Bay in this respect that it would prove hard
work to change their opinions, but really
I do believe there is a great deal of exagge-
ration about it.
We will admit its icebergs, its cold winds
and untimely snow-storms ; but this is not
sufficientto make it responsible forth(» frosts
and to overrate its influence over the tem]>e-
rature of the surrounding countries. Why
not tell you at once that the real cause of
the severe climate is the forest.
luls
not
lujluence of the forest o}i the vliniate.
For ourlon^wintors, our ivtardcMl springs,
summer fi'osts and frco/in^ wcatluM" of
Autumn; we sliould render the forest accoun-
table and not Ffudson Bay.
Wlien a person has not h'ved for a while
in th(^ woods, it is rathiM- hard to know exact-
ly what a virjj^in forest is, and to undcn-stand
the influence it may possess over the tem])e-
rature of a conntry, especially when this
forest covers an area of hundreds of lea^^ues.
It niust also be renuirked that the fort'sts
which cover that part of Noi-th America are
nearly all exclusively comi)()sed of trees
which never loose their leaves. The spruce
predominates. Every one has observed that
the b()u<ifhs of the white spruce are very
thick and closely knit to^etluM*. These trees
^row very close one to another, and do not
admit any strangers in their midst. Let us
add that these monopolizers of the forest
have invaded all the territory which extends
from the height of lands to James Bay,
Avhere they have grown for centuries have
increased so much that they now possess tre-
mendous proportions. This is indeed theking-
dom of the white spruce it is tlu; indigenous
tree par ejccellenve and reproduces to an in-
credil)le extent. We shall mention this fact
again when we conu3 to speak of thelunil)er
business. For the present it is simply a (jues-
8 —
tioii of Mnulysiiijjf \]w cfVcM'ts jn-odufcd on tho
tcnipcniturc of thv soil and tho Htniosi)Iioro
by this ^rtH-jn mass inii)e!U'trable to tho
rays of tlu^ sun.
On a brijj^ht suninior's day, wo ^\U\c down
tho River Abitti})i botwoentwo rid^os ninety
to a liun(b-'o<l foot hi^h. Tho midday sun
pours down upon our heads, tho tliormo-
mtitor mai'ks 98^ ; it is so hot tliat in a tin
box which T havoeart^fully cdosod, my eandlo
assumes a liquid form and my inatclios be-
come ahnost eliarred. II fait soif ! as tlie In-
dians say. Hut the Abittibi liivor simihir in
tliat respect and in many others to the Red
River, rolls near us a muddy and tepid
stream, llow can we quench our thirst ?
Many of us must remember. We believed
ourselves to be in the torrid zone.
Hut wait ; our canoe approaches tlie shore,
and without disembarking, we secure full
goblets of ])ure cold Avator which springs
forth from the forest in a sweetly murmuring
brook. Should vou leave the canoe and walk
a few steps in the forest, a chill runs
throuj^h you, you think yourself in a cave or
an ice house. Whence arises this pheno-
menon ? Diji^ into the earth and you will find
the solution of the i)roblem. When you
have dug- out 12 to 15 inches of rubbish, you
will find the clav to be hard and cristallized
as in the middle of winter. You will then
decide if it is Hudson Bay which conjeals us
or those millions of acres of forests, which pro-
tects and keeps the snow at their feet till the
iniddlo of.Tuno, Mini wliicli fi'oni tho hc^in-
iiiu^ to tho ('11(1 of siimincr obstinately foils
tlic otVorts of the sun to r<?M(*li the soil. From
the earth to the atinosphei'C! and from
tlie atmosphere to tlie ejirth, iho cohl
iinds itself confined as it were in a
spere. Now, when ni^ht comes and the sun
with(h'aws its b 'nevohuit rays, tliere is no
warmth left in the atmosphere nor in the
soil; on tlic! contrai*y the soil sends off its
chilly exhalation ; littl(» by little theaircon-
denses,and this is sufficient I'eason for finding
in the mornin<^, the frost on the boughs of
the trees and on the rocks of tliC! shore.
Happily, as we shall later see, the short-
ness of nights in the micMle of summer ji^e-
nerally prevents the frost, and it is exc(?e-
din^ly rare to see any foliage harmed by the
cold. But, nevertheless, the principle re-
mains, perfidious, daiifj^eroris, and if the ve-
getation does not really suffer in any way
at the period of its full bloojn, its cominjj;' to
niaturily is much retardcnl if this delay of
the ven^etation is not brought by th(^ influ-
ence of the forest, how then shall W(^ explain
the bloom, relatively hasty, of the North-
West prairies with latitu<les more to the
North ?
In order to prove decidedly that it is the
forest and not Hudson Bay that freezes us
I beg of you to notice another phenomenon
which takes place on James Bay during
summer : First of all, as I shall further ex-
plain it, the waters of .lames Bay are not at
-. 10 _
nil cold. In l>atliin^, I aUvjiys found its toni-
porature nmcli more n^rccnhlo than that of
Lak(^ IViniskaniin^ at the sanu^ s<»ason.
With a north wind, tli(^ water of the hay,
conn'n^ in contact with this cold air, vapo-
rizes as over ahoilin^ ])ail. The cold wind is
of conrse mollified hy i''^^ which ascen<ls
higher and hijj^her, thickens, condtMises itself,
and <lescen<ls a^ain as rain on the nei^hho-
rinji^ forests. It very seldom ha])pens, I think,
that tlu^se profuse shixrers reach or are felt
at Montn^al. The greater part are swallowed
nj) hy the moss which covers the floor of the
forest, where they are for ever de])rived of
the rays of thc^ sun, fuid of course he-
come a new a^ent of rtrfi'iij^ei'ation. These
facts cannot he denied. Having heen fre-
quently remai'ked they are explained hy the
means of science.
II
Influence of the clearlnfj of lands over the
tempernture.
Now let ns fancy what will happen when,
some day, those forests have disappeared to
make way for cultivated fields, villaj^es and
even cities. Instead of remaininjjf till the
middle of June ; the snow will melt towards
the middle or the end of April at the latest.
Let us contemplate for instance, an area of
200,000, square miles of snow removed from
the surface of the earth tAvo months sooner
than at present. The cold will he abated
11
CMionrmns ]»r()po!*tio!is ; uui\ yot this is only
n('I^.Mti\('. Wv will now cMlciilatc tln' <|Umii-
tity oT warmth ahsorhcd in a clay only hy
facli ton scpiaro IV'ct of the soil wlicn unco-
voiimI. \\'hirh of us has not sotnr litncs ol)-
8(«I"V(mI in sprinjr how a small pai'iclo of
rai'th, a bit of straw or cvt'ii a hai* hi'own
aci'oss the snow will acccU'rato its melting*
lUit here we do not measure hy ten feet or
ten acres hut hy hundreds of miles. Vou
would not a«'cre([it a ^reat knowledge of
])hysics to a person who asks you what dill'e-
rence is ])ro(lu('e(l iii th(^ tem])erature of
a room hy a block of ice three f<'et lonj^, or
a stove of the same size well filled and well
heated.
A lon<^ while aft(u* the combustible is con-
sumed the cfU'th still retains and diiVuses
Avarmth. Th(» same thin^ ha|)pens with the
soil : the warmth it absorbs during a ])i'i<^ht
sunny day maintainsthe luk(!warmness of the
air for the whole ni^ht. The next day if the
dose is repeated there will be a surplus dis-
posable on the neighbouring localities. From
])oint to ])oint, the cold will be pushed back
to the North, and should it try to revenue
itself, it Avould surely like the soldiers of
Hannibal be enervated by the luxuries of
Capua.
From the clearing of lands, three unde-
niable results accrue, viz : 1 ^ An earlier
sprin«i^ 2^ A longer and milder summer
8 2 A later autumn, and less abru]>t. These
results in the province of Quebec dui'ing the
3
— 12-
pMst .")() ycMi's luivc Ikmmi (IciiHMisl r,'itj*<l. A«-
cofdiiij^ <«» the old people it ol'tcn liMppcMcd
that the <Tops weri* IVo/eti on tlie shores of
the Si Iiiui'«Mic ', 25 oj' .'{() ve;irs njjfo wlio
would have ( hoii^ht ot'cidt i VMt iu^ viiie-t rees
in tile open nlv ? To-day, sci<'nce ilecJMi'es
that ('a!iada may Ix'conie a \in(^ ^rowini^
fount IN «|uite (Mpial to France. I not ice every
year tliat the snow remains three weel<s
h)n^er in th<» chditficrs tlian it does \n heiv?
thi^ lands ai'e cultivated an<l <'ven a few
inih^s t'urthei'. Fr'om this, I inl'er ev«'n at the
risk of hein;^ ff)und ridiculous hy the pi'esent,
jj^enei'ation. that when our grandsons *^ot
I'id of these innnense foi'ests " suimnei' will
he two months lon<;tu* in Canada. "
When I sp(\*ik of t he Nor( h, I<lonot mean
to l)i'injjf at once my settl rs t»j the^ j^reat;
" Slave Lakt' " alt houjj^h t Ih'V \\ill;4-o somo
(lay; hy theNoi'th, I nn^an the /ont^ lyin*^
l)etween the 1(> ^ and tlie ."i^ ^ pai'allels ;
this zone extends from lak(;s Huron and Xi-
pissin»4'to .James IJay and lakes St John and
Mistassini. Wh(;nth(^ forivstsdisapp »ar, stea-
mers will h(i saf(j on Hudson I>ay, the ico-
hei"^s liavin<^ heen pusIhmI hack, as a natural
constupience of the h(;atinn' of the atmos-
])Iiero around tln^se rej^ions, the actual iso-
tluM'nial lines whi(di j.^ive; ana»stival averaj^o
of ()0^ around Moose Factory, ^vill ])erh:i])s
be retro^j^raded as far as the NortluuMi limits
of .lamt's 15 ly an<I the greater j)art of t h(^ ice
will ni'.dt h:'fore reacliini^ the coast. Her.' I
stop, rather alarmed by my audacity. If later
- I.M —
<>!i. otluM* 1 liocM'ists «lcsin» to confi'i* upon
fartlicst iKntli llic (MijoynHMitM of* pcrpct iml
smiiJiKM' i\\\t\ since s<'i('!ic<» progresses cvciy
day, they inny ein|)loy si roujjfei- mimI imH'e
elTeef ive iiu»niis tlmii tlios«» I suijf;^est to <I.iy
to l)rii\^' Ml)oiit sneh n result. I^iit until tlu'n,
l''t lis hoM to the idea of tlie clearin;^ of our
t'oi'ests.
Still, T want to l)e well imderstood when T
talk ahoiit <'leai'in}jj of lands. I do not mean
to oxterniinate li'onr varieties of timber.
The forests, as wed as th<» mountains, have
each a part to |»lay in tlie climaterical eco*
iiomv of R count I'v. and to act ^viselv we
• • •
iiHist ])n»serve .•im])le (piantities of these
wood and soujetimes even replant.
Ill
Clinuttr (if Moose- Fdcf or)/ cotnpdml to the
some htlitmhs in Europe and Asitf.
All T havi» said about the forests is not with
the object of iiuluein^ you to iuja^n'iu' that
the region it eom])risos is inhospitable and
not fit to be inhal)ited. I simply Avant to
show you that the complaints made about
the climate of that torritoi-y are bi'ou^^ht
jd)out by a concurrence of circumstanceH
^)urelyaccident aland are sometimes wrongly
attributed to its jjfeojjjraphical position. I Avill
also add, althouj^h I maintain the truth of
my first ])roj)ositioTi, that the climate of this
country is not so unfavourable as some have
tried to make it out, and I will prove it di-
14 —
rtu'tly. First by flu; ^cojj^raphical position.
Taking An)aiii as a stMrtiii^])oint, 1 find tliat
thisspot isonly 12() miles nortli of Wiiini])t'^,
while L.'iko Ni|)issin^ on the southern fron-
tier ('oiTres])on(ls to the latitude of Tliree-
Riv^ers. The central point of this region has
the same hititude as lake St .)ohn with an
elevation of 492' above the level of the sea.
It is about the same elevation as river Mat-
tawan discharjjfing" into the Ottawa. After
this jji-cMieral view, consult our best jjfeo<^i-a-
phic works and rompare the rejj^ion which is
under discussion with the ditVerent table-
lands of Europe and Asia situated between
the same parallels and at altitudes still
hijj^her, and you will see that nany coun-
tries of the old world which {(pp(^ar to be
situated less favoui-ably, su|)port niunerous
agricultural populations. It should be sutti-
cient to mention the fact that the British
Isles are entirely situated to tlie north of
the latitude of Moose-Factory ; of course the
B. Isles may invoke in tlieir favor the bene-
volent effects of the (xulf 8troani ; but it is
impossible for the north of (xcrmany and a
part of the Russian Empire in Euro])e as
well as in Asia, to claim the same privih^ge.
However, it is a fact that in those countries
wheat ripens beyond the 5)i ^ ; that is, at 50
miles north of iVlbani. If we can establish as
a fact that the most northern point of the
region which engages our attention \^ favou-
rable to the culture of whent ; \v(^ m'^y
surely say in consequence a/b>*//o>'/ that the
15
whole of the said region enjoys a cliniate
moHt propitious for a«j:riciilture. Tliis is why
I have clioseu as ti point of conipar'son tlie
forest of Moost^-Factory on the shores of
James Bay, latitude 51 o 15 c. n^^f \^ ^,,),^
hiy down a [)riniMple you must support it
with facts. I liave gathered the following in-
formations on the climate of this locality :
IV
A few mi'feoroloc/ic obscr rat ions mude in the
viciniftj ofJdnies IIki/.
The average of heat in Moose is of 00 - : in
the warmest days it reaches SO^ . This sum-
mer, 1881, ihe maximum I ohserved at Al-
baTii, 120 miles to the north, has been 95 = .
Mr McLeod, a resident of New-Post, (72mih\s
south of Moos(>) declared to me that he
counted 100 o on In's thermometer the 20th
of June. You see at once that these figures
are exceptional. I have ahvady said that on
the rivers, and especially in the wooded
lands, the heat is extreme during the day,
while at night the mercury goes down as
faras2()= at the end of June. At James Hay,
however, the temperature is moi-e equal
than the interior of tho country. This proves
once more, the influence of the forest over
the atmosphen;. In the coldei- days of winti^-,
the thermometer often goes down to 10 ^ ;
all are unanimous in saying that the (juan-
tity of snow which falls in Moose during one
winter is less than in Ottawa. It may piovci
1
— 10 —
useful to f^n'vo a little synopsis of* tli(> tempe-
rature oi' MaiiitobM.
Mam lonA Moosh-Factorv
rM.'iximum
III tlio year 1881 - Avcratco
93
L old—Maximimi 40°
9'°
f)0'
39^
N. B. At the moiuent I ^vl^\t^) tlicse lines,
December 20tli 1884. the tliei-inometer marks
1^8- cold, here, at Maniwaki, on the river
(xatineau, 100 miles north of Ottawa.
V
Ojji'uinf/ of N((r!(j(tti()n.
The oi)enin<r of ilavi,q;ation at Moose takes
place betw een the 10th and the 2()th of May.
According- to notes existing at the P'ort of
the Hudson Bay Company, navigation was
never impeded by I'eason of ice on the first
of June. The writinj^rs which attest this fact
represent a centujy of uninterrui)ted obser-
vations. Tn 1800, the sea was unobstructed
the first (hiy of May; the })()ats are generally
])ut ii'.'.o winter (piarters by the last week of
N()vend)er. From those computations scru-
])ulously accui'ate and which einbi-ace a pe-
riod of sixty years, Ase may concludes that
James l>ay n fiords six entire months of na-
vigation. The fact is probably due to the
early breaking u]) of the lai-ge tributary i-i-
vers which take their use in the southern I'e-
gion.
If" the rumoi- I have heai'd is true, viz .
that lluds(jn Bay is unimix'ded for 12 months
1
fll-
le-
la-
ic-
of the year (which soonis ciMMlihlc) an'd the
ciirroiit of tho strai^'lits is so iinjx'tiious,
that it (Iocs iif)t ])('nnit of any icclxM-^
sto|)|)in<;', th(^ ])roh!oiii of the iia\'i<^ation of
this important sea. will be (|nickly solved.
Ih'tnarls.
I see no reason whali'ver why tlu' clininte
of this famous territory of Hudson \\i\y
sliould he worse than that of the ])rovi]U'e
around th(^ (rulf of St Lawrence. 1 am in-
clined to heliev'e that a comparison would
tend to th(^ advai:ta<4"e of the first hecaus(» it
is ])rotected hy the coats of Lahradoi', from
the <4'reat artic current which reaches us
throuj^h tlu^ straights of Hcdh* Isle. Thisciu'-
rent docs not allect Hudson Bay, its watei's
are forced io the north hy the hir^^'e rivers
whosiMvstuaries are all fo!i!i 1 on its southei'n
shores. This is more than enough, I think, to
convert alto^eth(»r the unheJit'vers. or at
least to make them reflects seriously upon
the matter. If, notwithstandini;- all that, the
name alone of Hudson Hay makes them
shiver. I will suj^'jj^est a little expei'inuMit to
these skeptics. It would he to forj^'et for a
few days that tli(\y |)ossess in Monti'eal or
Ottawa, cities I (diose as hein^' most favou-
red by climate, houses well built ami W(>11
heati.'d. Then during* one of those a<;i'eeable
weeks of cokl rain with which we are 'gene-
rally blessetl at the end of July, let them enjoy
in the open air the luxuries of Indian lif<' as
it is prat'tis hI, willin^c oi- not, on the N\ild
-- 18 —
sliores of James liny : Sh^op on tho naked
eai'tli with no oth.er shelter than a small
tent ; cook their own food and dry tlieir
elothes near a smoiddering fire of ^reen
woo<l whlcli sends more smoke to their eves
tlmn warmth to their hack ; eat in elej^ant tin
dishes, and a thousand other hlessin^s. I will
wajj^er anythinjj^ that of h 100 persons who
will try this experiment, 00 ont of them will
curse the liaicful cliinatc o¥ Montreal.
CHAPTER III
NATURAL RICHNr']SS, MINKS, FORKSTS,
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.
According to Dr. Bell and other explorers
the re<»ion of Pludson Bay is one of the
richest in the world in mines of all sorts.
As mj^ knowhulij^e is naturally limited on
this suhject, I will quote the w^ords of
those who are competent to speak of the
matter. As to the a^^-ricultural and forest
resources, I shnll not speak of them in special
paragra])li as they naturally have their
])lace with the details concerning each rej^'ion
or zone of which we shall make a review in
the second ])ai't of this work. This is the
reason why I shall speak only of mineral
wealth in this chapter.
Mineral (realfJi.
This is what professor B(dl says ahout it :
" All around James Bay and on the eastern
coast of Hudson Bay there are numerous
19 —
of
be
■est
m\
leir
on
in
the
ral
it:
orn
oiirt
iiulications of iron and coal, so close one to
another that by taking' advanta^^e of tlio
chea[) means of transport fiifoi'ded by the
iiavij^ation in these localities the whole
country around Jainos Bay mi^ht become
another Pennsylvania. The mines of Hudson
Bay >vill surely turn out to be its greatest
richness ; vast* deposits of iron have been
fond on Mattngami river in 18G7 , and inex-
haustible quantities of excellent magnetic
iron have been found in the islands borde-
ring the eastern coast of James Bay and
also most ])roniising signs of galena. "
" Gold, silver and copper are found in the
environs ol: Hlciero d In Balelne and on the
eastern coast, quantities of lignite. " Another
ex])lorer, speaking about the rich deposits
of iron, coal and other ores which exist in
the neighbourhood of James Baj', says : " I
declare without the slightest hesitation this
country to possess the richest mines of the
I)(jminion and pcrharps of the continent. "'
Anthracite and iron are found along the
rivers situated south of James Bay, and in-
dication of petroleum on Abittibi river.
Mr. Borron, acting as stipendiary magistrate
for the district of Xipissing, makes the fol-
lowing report to the government of Ontario:
" There exists in the neigbourhood of James
Bay, north of the height of land, immense
peat beds possibly the most extensive in the
world. The thickness of these beds is bet-
ween 8'and20' feet. Inviewof such prodigious
quantities, one cannot help wondering what
4
20 —
nso will later on bo made of it. " Besides
lignite, tliere is also kaeliii or porcelain clay
and iron. "
" Lignite has been discovered in ^reat
qufintitic^s in beds tliree feet thick, on both
sides of river Abittibi, north of the heij^bt
of land. " I coidd multiply the quotations,
but I shall end by relating wlfJit 1 have wit-
ness(Hl on the Abittibi r^ver and on bike
Temiskaming.
In the first place, a))undant dej)osits of
gypsum at the confluence of the Moose and
the Abittibi, slate in different places, ascen-
ding the river ; and lime stone nearly every-
where ; iron pyrites at lake Obasatika; slate
on Montreal river, and argentiferous galena
on lake Temiskaniing. It is on this same lake
that are found the most magnificent (piar-
ries of cut stone which exist in the Domi-
nion, both the(j[uality and abundance. What
rendei's them more precious is, that the
blocks can easily be detached from the shore
and laid immediately on barges without the
least trouble. By means of the easj' navig^i-
tion afforded by lake Temiskaniing this cut
stone can b(^ transj^orted a distance of 200
miles ; this goes to prove the im]5ortance of
such a supply in a region where extensive
i.iines Avill be in ojieration before long.
This is in concise form ^vhat is known to
ly of the mineralogy of this v^ast territory.
JL»ut this will not present other discoveries
from being made, and the gradual disajipea-
rance oP the forests will bring many others.
SECOND TAIIT
DETAFLRD REVIEW OF THE DrFFKRENT ZONES
FROM ALBAXE TO LAKE TEMISKAMIXG.
Jieinarks.
Now tliat we have a o^eneral idea of the
soil and climate, I think my work would
insufru-iently demonstrate the importance
of this territory, were I not to offer in addi-
tion a distinct classification of the different
re-ions wliicli form the immense territory
of Hudson Bay ; at least that part I have
.visited which extends from Alhani, on
JaTnes Bay, south to lake Temiskann'n^- : for
m an area of 200,000 square miles it is im-
possihle that the same remarks would pro-
perly apply to the whole region as regards
soil, climate, and products. Otherwise, I
woidd be as ridiculous as that influential
person, recently arrived from France, who
jndo-ed all tlye lands of Canada by the fii-st
heap of gravel which met his eye in setting
foot on the soil of Quebec. I will tlierefore
divide this future province into four regions,
or rather four zones, bi^ginning with Albani'
beeause it stands more to the north, and
coming back towards the height of land
which seperates the waters of Hudson Bay
from those of the St Lawrence, and ending
with lake Temiskaming, a jewel worthy of
a place at the summit of the crown.
-22-
A <l(»sci'i|)tion oF James liny is lUM'i^ssnry
to j^ivo H correct idou ot tlio hinds surroim-
d'uipi; it.
CHAPTER I
JAMES RAY — ITS DliPTFl — NATURE OF ITS
WATERS — ITS INIIAIUTANTS — ITS INFLU-
ENX'E OVER THE CLIMATE AND TUK FORMA-
TION OF Til 10 NEIGHBOURIXCJ SOIL — ITS
NAVIGATION.
Extent and depth.
Jainos Bay takes its name from an on-
glisli Captain (James) who was hehl captive
with his versel on its waters during tlio
winter of 1G.*^2. This bay is sometimes mis-
taken for Hudson Bay which begins 400
miles further north at cape Henrietta Maria.
The line of demarcation between these two
sheets of water, measures about 200 miles
from East to West. Allowing for the sinuo-
sities, this gives James Bay an approxima-
tive area of 75,000 miles. The whole of this
extent is navigable for vessels of heavey
tonnage except twenty leagues along the
southern and western coasts where the
water has so little depth that even at high
tide, one must pi'oceed with great caution
even in a birch-bark canoe. It often hai)pens,
far beyond the shores, that you can reach
the bottom of the waters with the end of
the paddle.
he
Kh
on
us,
of
— Zi —
TI
Nature o/' its waters.
When the tide is low, the heuch measures
4 or 5 miles wide, and the sea /ippears in the
distance as a deep hlue line. Thou this vast
extent of mud and gravel hecomes warm
with the rays of the sun ; and when the tide
comes in, the heat passes from the earth to
the water which covers it ; so that the water,
already lukewarm remains all summer at a
temperature much higher than you would
fsiecttofind in those latitudes. Another
ro,»son for this high temperature is that
many of the large rivers which flow into
James Bay have their origin in the south.
The volume of these rivers heing conside-
rable, the cold waters of the sea are driven
back to a distance by the combined dis-
charge of these streams. Sometimes, when
you are yet too far out at sea to catch sight
of the mouth of a river, you are informed of
its proximity by the taste of the water which
is at that distance perfectly sweet. Moreover,
at a considerable distance from the coasts,
the waters of Hudson Bay are not altoge-
ther salt, but rather brackish. For the i-easons
above mentionned, the waters of James Bay
are very seldom perfectly (dear ; especially
when' the wind blows ever so little, it beco-
mes a veritable sea of mud.
- 24
III
Its i)ihfif)if(infs.
On acronnt of its nuiddv watcM'aud nl n its
want of depth aloii^ tin? coasts, thoro
is a scarcity of fish life alon^* its shores ;
we imist lio\v<»ver exce|)t tlie eastern por-
tion, the shorcvs of Avhich are a})rnpt, between
th(i nioiitiisof tiie rivers, and the pi'onionto-
ries ])()rpoises are seen to he numerous. The
sturj^eon exists in abundance at tlin mouth
of the riversand in the Abittil)i, also thecarp,
the white fish and a multitude of other va-
ri(^ties. I had often been toM that the Hsli in
the North was more delicious tlian the same
varieties in our southern rivers I have <le-
monstrated the truth of this statement. The
seal, the cod, the salmon and sea trout are
found in abundance towards the East Main
river coast ; the whale puts in an appea-
rance in the waters, tlndr (k'pth bein<^ ample.
.IV
Injlucnce of Jaima^ Bay on the cUniate.
It is Giisj to understand the effect produ-
ced on the climate of this region by such a
vast extent of water with a temperature re-
hitively luke-warm. Vegetation has never
been spoilt by an untimely frost at Mo6se or
in the neighborhood. The vapours which
arise from the sea cooled by the air, form as
it were a protective cloud, which wards off
anything which menaces vegetation. More-
— 25 —
over tho nijifhts aro so sliort (lui'injj^ suinmor
that Wn* Hjjflit of tlic sun (Iocs not coiiiplo-
toly disapjKS'U' i'roiii the liorizoii and tlicj at-
niosphorci thus has not tiino to suflicicntly
alh)\v of frost occurring.
Offhc^pdrt plffi/cd hf/ ffw ir(tfers ofJdtncs Bmj
ill th(\f(n'niifi()n of tJic sitrroumlinr/ Idiids.
With a ch'niato as mild as that of James
Bay, and with as ricli a fci'l iliz(M'as tho oozo
contained in its waters, it is no wonder that
all the shores suhject to its iniliience exliihit
everywhere csxeeptional ])rodu('t iNeness. The
soil is continually cravin*^ to pi-oduceas soon
as it has escaped from the power of tho
waves. This is why, from year to year, the
earth encroaches on the waters of the Hay
and will douhtless end in takinj^' possession
of the greater part of its present domains.
It is most striking, even for an nnohsevant
person, to watch the land making in roads
on th(^ waters. This phenomenon takes place
in the following manner : As I hav:' already
said, a multitude of large and small rivers
come running from the East, South and
West, towards James Bay ci-ossing the vast
plain of clay which extends from the sea to
the height of land, and bring along in their
wild course not only the remai;is of the fo-
rests they destro}^ on the way, but also the
vegetable mould around their roots and the
20-
i:\ny of \\w lower IovoIm mo that tlu^ vvatoi'M
^vt (*oni|)lnt«^Iy chui'^cMl witli tlchi'is.
This ilooH not take |)hu'(< in nprinjjf only, on
tho hi'cakin^ up of the ico ; hut all tho year
round and at each hour of tho day; quantities
of debris of all kinds reach tho sea in this
way and are roceiv<»d by its waters only to
bo thrown on tho shore, driven away, and
H^ain hurled back, ui\til thoy j^ather in com-
pact heaps which the waters finally recido
fi'oin. All at on(M», a thousand ^ernis held in
suspence by the muddly element, boj^in to
jjferminate under the salutary influence of
the sun. The reeds, the wild oats, wild peas^
the parsley and the gentian invade this
newly made land ; anda multitude bloominj^
and a fragrant flowers unknown in our cli-
mates. The following year the currant tree
and tho Jumper tree assert themselves, and
also a few younjj^ branches of willows under
whoso shelter ripen tho lucious strawberry.
Go further still, and you behold tho meadow
rej^ulary formed, with its fodder lonjjj and
thick undulatiujjf with the gentle breeze.
When you have walked for aco.ipleof miles
across these meadows, adorr,f»d with a luxu-
riant flora which would doubtless delight
the sight of a botanist, you fancy yourself
to be near an orchard. Hero and there clumps
resembling beautiful apple-trees but alas !
it is only what Virgil called : Salices amaras.
The bushes grow larger ; j'^ou now see the
top of poplars ; the larch follows, then the
rough spruce, it is almost a forest. Now and
?ze.
— 27-
tlioii yon aro forced to tako a roiiiulabont
way to avoid a Mliallow-poiHl >vlH5r(i ducks
aro disporting th':'insolvoH ; you also ^t^t ac-
(juaiiitcMl with inyi'iads oi' mosquitoes. Hut
you will soon ^et rid of them if you have been
wise enouj^h to anoint the vulnerable parts
with Marln(jHoiu'ifu(f('. We stand in a youn^
forest, for the tre<\s are yet small. Whence
come these partly decayed tree trunks which
are strewn at our feet ? They form arountl
the pond a circular hillock cemented toge-
ther with sand and frajjfnients of shells ?
This is evidently the work of the sea.
In a few years these uprooted trees which
cover the ed^es of the beach will have
moved a few miles into the interior of the
forest. The small ponds to which the ducks
resort, on whose border the wild goose builds
her nest, will be filled up by the leaves of the
trees, overgrown, invaded by moss and
transformed into a savannah. Such is the
origin of the vast peat beds which with a
width of 25 or 30 miles, form the distinctive
character of the land which extends on the
shoi'es of the Bay from Moose to hundreds
of miles beyond Albani. Here the work of
nature is so rapid that it is impossible not
to notice it at once especially at the mouth
of the rivers which gradually loose their
depth on account of the sediment accumula-
ting without intermission.
In 1859 the boats went as far as Moose and
Albani. Since 1867, boats are forced to east
5
— 28 —
anchor about 10 miles Fiu'tliei" down, and the
channel beeonu^s narrower every day,
A few travellers j)retend that the diniinu-
tiveness of the vegetatio/i whieh exists in
the vicinity of James Ba,y is a ])roof of the
severity of the climate. I think 1 am per-
fectly rijj^ht in ailirming that it is tht^ stron-
jifest j)roof of the rapidity with which vege-
tation hastens to profit by each single inch
of earth reclaimed from the sea. Land recla-
mation proceeds at a great rate. Before
niauy centuries have passed away, vast
herds of cattle will browse on the soft grass
on the bottomlands where the old Chuin,
Inore than once, nearly left our bircli-bark
canoe. ^ •• '
VI
Narlcfdticni ( if James Bdij.
You must Tiot infer froin what T have said
that navigation is impra.cticable firound
James Bay, but simply this : that large
bopts must keep at a certain distance
frc.n the shores, select the pr()j)er channels
and w.'tit for the ti(h^ to enter tin? harbour.
At Moose and Albani : the highest ti<le is not
more than ten feet, but this is sufficient to
allow vessels to enter in safelv. On the eas-
tern const, the shores are more sharply de-
fined and the waters de ^per so that naviga-
tion is in noway impeded. This coast is even
said to be free from ice all winter.
— 29 —
The M(iri}i(/u()in ifuge.
I am not Jokintjf ; this is the nmne of a me-
dicine patented on the :^rd of ,] uly 1884, whieli
possesses the virtue of drivin«r'{,w;iy these
tiresome flies and of curin^r tlieir stin^^s. I
Avouhl not undertake a journey throu^di the
forest in summer without this preparation.
I mention it here, hecause havin<r made
use of it^ for over 15 years with constant
success, it is only just I should recommend
it to all ; it would he too had to see my hro-
thers devoured hy t^iose small Idood-suckers
when I know of such an infallihie relief.
This is a philanthropic warning I give my
friends not to forget this precious drug if
they ever undertake the same trip we are
making in mind, at present. Like all things it
has a disagreeahle side which can he avoided
^vith a hottle of Maringnoinifncje.
CHAPTER 11
FIRST ZONi:.
From Alhanij to Moose-Factorij.
(distance : 120 miles)
N. B. I make use of the term " zone " in
preference to that of " region " to give an
exact idea of a measure in width only; while
I do not intend to define any limit in regard
to the length.
— 30 —
Albani Rivei\
Albani river is one of the largest feeders
of fJanies Bay. It has its source in tlie series
of hikes situated to the North West of hike
Nipigon at about sixty miles from Thunder-
Bay on hike Superior. This river flows
througli fertile and wooded lands : Three
hundred miles before reaching the sea, is
situated the last fall " Martens' Fall " which
is the terminus of navigation in the lower
part of the river, for boats drawing not
more than four feet. On account of its posi-
tion which puts it in direct touch with the
sea. Martens' Fall has in store a prosperous
future, all the more that its climate is milder
than at Fort Albani, the soil is also of excel-
lent natui'e. I have been told that barley and
potatoes >vill ripen there and a feAV experi-
ments have proved that wheat could come
to its full maturity.
II
Fort Alhiuuj. Climate and agriculture.
The soil here is different they say ; but
my opinion is that agriculture has never
been seriously attempted. Agriculture is not
the object in view of the honorable Com-
pany of Hudson Bay. Its employees care
more for the title of good traders than
that of skilled farmers. They harvest only
the crop of atpiatic hay necessary for the
31 —
but
|3vor
not
oui-
are
hail
)iily
tlio
wintering of splendid herds of oxen which,
during summer, wander on the shores of the
ishmd where they find abundant pasture.
Still, there seems to have been, h)ng ago,
a period of agricultural glory for the repu-
blic of Albany. About twenty years ago,
some old Indians of the country related to
Father Viau that in their young days, they
had admired at Fort Albany certain farming
implements and regarded as relics. The
reverend Father was much surprised to re-
cognize, by these description a iratering jiot
a sure proof that the dampness was not ex-
cessive in those heroic ages. Who was the
Cincinnatus who thus gave agriculture a
place of honor ? History does not mention
his name. This much is certain though, that
since the death or the recall of that bene-
factor of humanity, the gardening around
Fort Albany presents a very poor and mea-
gre aspect.
I saw this summer, 1884, a few sickly
sprouts of potatoes which at the 10th of
July were scarcely coming out of the earth.
The climate should not be made responsible
for this ; for, at the same time, the poplar's
leaves w^ere pretty well grown and a robust
currant-tree hidden under a palisade seemed
to say to the passers by : See ! how warm it
is in the sun ! With a hand, perharps indis-
creet, I lifted up one of its brandies, and to
my great surprise, it was thick with fruit.
I learned more from this small shrub than
from the people in the house, and 1 am per-
,jjj —
foctly eonviiic€Hl that witli a liltU^ ^ood will,
Albany would soon rival Moose for the
beauty of its gardenin<^ and even the culture
of certain cereals.
It is true that the soil is moist. But what
can you expect from grounds with absolutely
no dmina^e. You would work no w^onders
even in Montreal luider the same conditions.
An evident proof of the contempt the mem-
bers of H. B. Company profess for agricul-
ture consists in the following fact which
will strike everybody as it has astonished
me. The establishment of Fort Albany dates
two-centuries back. Well, since that epoch,
our residents of H. B. Company have not
laid a single shov(;l of manure on the soil
they pretend to cultivate. Some will ])erhaps
say : there is nothing surprising in this,
since they do not bring up any animals ; if
so, I will ask some learned person to explain
to me the phenomenon by which there is
found close to the Com])any's stables a veri-
table mountain of ludssire cotnposf measu-
ring several hundred feet in length, about
as much in width ; and .SO to 40 feet high,
this is tremendous. The pyramid (to soften
the exi)ression) stands as above mentioned
close to the stables of the Hon. Company,
the precious sul)stance is removed by means
of wheelbarrows ; this is not all, as these
Avheelbarrows must invariably be discharged
on the summit of this heaj) they have laid
down planks to make the accent easier and
many times in the <hiy, you may see the
— :m\ —
barrows taken u]) aii<l omptied on tho t'vcr
increasing pile. They kee]) addinj^ to it, but
never take away from it. This fact is more
than stranjj^e ; I tliinjj^ it is sin»j^ular in tlie
history of the agricultural world ; this is
why I et)uld not resist the temptation of
making it known. Who knows that later
this new sort of mine may not be e\ploit(Hl
and prove of immense value. Let it be well
understood at once that the niembL'rs of the
H. B. Company do not care about agricultures
for the simple reason that its results in their
lands, would be a strong and (smj^hatic de-
nial of all the absurd rumors spread over
the world by this powerful (Jompany, repre-
senting their fur country as uninhabitable.
We must believe these interested geogra-
phers to the same extent as we rely on the
statements of the lumbermen as to whether
the lands they hold under licence are lit for
colonization or not.
•ut
;h,
en
led
tns
>se
red
id
nd
he
III
TJie Mission of A IIhuu/.
The lumbermen of H. B. Mre no Ixstter
farmers than the traders. The first wish to
monopolize the woods, and the others would
be cut into |)ieces rather than allow the least
encroachment on the .s^fcr^^f/ trade of furs.
Their motto Pro pcUe cutcm is a veritable
war cry. It is the pass-word and countersign
of a legion of pioneers active, indefatigable?,
rapjicious and cunning and who have all
— 34
iHH'onie clever in their business. The agents
of the Company are the only white men who
frequent these vast regions. They form a
hierarchy admirably disposed in which
througho'it reigns the most severe discipline,
whose code may be summed up in three
principal points : 1 "^ Not to allow any white
man in the territory 2 ® to prevent the na-
tives from leaving the place 3^ to secure
all the furs. Missionaries alone are admitted,
but I'lider the condition Sine qua non of
unvMolabk) x'Copect for their laws. This is how
we have bi^en enabled to found a mission at
Fort Albany wh* li is relatively flourishing.
We also built a pretty church of 100 feet by
40, attended by a population of four or five
hundred souls. This number represents but
one half of the total population. The other
half belongs to the Protestant faith presided
over by a Minister who has his residence
there and a church of considerable size.
Both bodies are on pretty good terms, this
means that our neighbors succeed in their
propaganda during the days of famine only.
The Indians of Albany and of all the terri-
tory around James Bay are moral very
clever and susceptible of education. As to
their exterior they are handsome men, ro-
bust and well built, there is nothing deformed
or repulsive about their features. They are
endowed with a clear complexion and bright
eyes. They are all hunters but exceedingly
poor. The lot of furs they bring in each year
to the governor of the Company, would be
35 -
agents
en who
form a
which
cipline,
three
►^ white
the na-
secure
nit ted,
ion of
is how
sion at
ishinj^.
'eet by
or five
its but
I otlier
esided
idence
R size.
18, this
L their
3 only.
5 terri-
very
As to
m, ro-
ormed
ey are
bright
iingly
[i year
dd be
more ihnu suflicient to yllow a Cniiadian
fMniily to \Wo in Inxiiry for 12 inonths.
But at Fort Al])any they give them, in ro-
turn for that wealth, only what is strictly
wanted to go back io the woods and not die
of hunger.
Many a time have I seen those poor st/ir-
ving people, wandeiing in rags aroundthe
palisades, driven away with abvout as much
consideration as you would show towards
mangy-dogs. This shows the agreeable side
of all monopolies. It was one of these gentle-
men who said to me, alarmed at the pros-
pect of seeing this country opened to civi-
lization : " Father Paradis, you should write
against this confounded railroads. Dont you
see that they will bring the yankees here
and that they will destroy your missions. "
He meant the railroad between Callendar
and James Bay, a question that was greatly
agitated in 1884. And to think that unto this
day the great interests of colonization have
remained in such hands !
IV
The Prairies.
Between Moose-Factory and Albany river
and for hundreds of leagues north of this
1 iver, there spread over the whole slope of
James and H. B. prairies similar to those of
the North- West of which, morever, they
form a part. When I say that these prairies
are exactly similar to those of Manitoba, I
m
nwiy (lisixMiso wifcli jj^ivinj^' m di'si-riptioii of
them for tn'^erv})0(lv knows wliat the Mani-
to])n hinds arc likc^. As for IhiM'hninte, it will
snttico to roniark that Alhany is ahout tlio
same latituch? as Prince-Allxn't. I liaA'e pro-
ved tliat the conditions in tlie nei^hhonr-
hood of James Bay instead of accelerating
tlie frost rather ward it olT. It must he ad-
mittcMl then that the prairies of which I am
writinj^ are most henificial to colonization.
Tlie rearing of cattle could he practiced on
a large scale and wonld give an impetus to
all the industries de])endent upon it. The
grass of these i)rairies possesses a peculiar
essence and flavor which imparts to milk
and butter produced from the cattle whitdi
eat it, an excpiisite taste one Avhich you
Avould seek for in vain in our climates.
There are millions of acres of land actually
unoccupied where thousands of families
could settle if only that confinnidcd rallrodd
to James Bay could be constructed. What a
fine Held would be opened up to the cheese-
making industry without mentioning the
trade in cattle which could be made direct
with Europe. Since large vessels leave Lon-
don e\'er3' year to be loadtMl with our pr(^-
eious furs, I see no reason that Avould pre-
vent other vessels following the same route
for different commercial purposes. To ask
the (question is to solve the problem.
— 37 —
(liinic.
I caiiiiot IcRVo t Ih^ shoi'o.s of .laiiios Bay
>vilh()ut sayiiijj: a word concerning anotlier
rcsoui'ce ■|)f<'iiHar to tliat country. It is tlie
myriads of bii'ds of all sorts wlio haunt these
shores, build their nests and nudtii)ly ■\vit-
liout molestation and this since the fourth
day of the creation. You may wish to know
what attracts so manv birds to these lati-
tudes. A «4<)od re<ason j)erliaps is tliat they are
left in peace, but there is another one, and
in my opinion it is the real one : Animals, as
well as men, like to live Avhere they lind
their food and pleasures. Those vast prairies
are nothing but tables sumptuosly furnished
with all the dainties which tend to rnake a
bird happy. There you luive immense fieldn
of w'ild-oats which look as if they were care-
fully kept in order, in fact they seem to have
been sown by the hand of man ; elsewhere,
you see the wild pea in abundance and also a
multitude of other grasses and herbs around
which the wild }.,a:>08e, the duck, the teal, the
ozawaceci and the cececo. These happy inha-
bitants are disturbed only for a few days
each fall bv the hunters of Hudson Bay who
come to secure their quota of wild geese.They
kill on an average about ."iti.OOO a year for
each Fort. It makes no more dilVerence than
if you took a drop of water from tlie sea.
Don't you find in this a branch of commerce
to develop ? I know that the H. B. Company
- 88 —
c'xpoi'ts Miiiinally lai'j^c (|UMntit l<>s of fcatlior
an<l down without incut ioiiiiij< tho luxury
of "eating this most delicate meat in all sea-
sons.
CHAPTER in
SKCONI) ZONK
From Moosp-Fact(yrfi to New-Post,
(distftuce : TJ luilf'a. Alfitmfc : lUn feet)
Moose- Factory.
As a rule all the posts of Hudson Bay
look alike. But that of Moose- Factory has a
distinctive feature of aristocracy to he found
nowhere else. In fact, Moose-Factory is a
capital. Besides being the residence of an
anglican Bishop who possesses a fine cathe.
dral, Moose has streets set in a straight lino
bordered with inniiense s^tores, a steam saw-
mill, a powder-magazine, and a goodly
nunil)er of comfortable looking houses which
belong to Indians civilized like real English-
men.
The city is situated at the southern extre-
mity of an island which bears the same
name. It possesses a vast and safe harbour
wdiere you see a small flottilla in constant
evolution ; it is composed of vessels of small
tonnage ; because the vessels which 40 years
ago came to cast anchor under the muzzles
of the canons at the Fort, are obliged to day
to keep at a respectful distance of \^ miles
— 30-
Ix'low, (HI acconiit of the (IcjiosKs of ;illn\ ion
Avhicli constantly raises tli(> bottom of the
riv(^r, as T liavo (^xplainod in tlic proccdinj;^
eliaptors. Th(^ island of Moos(» is not tlioonly
one at the month of tin* rivor of tlio same
name ; tliero art' two othors of oqnal lon^lit
.and (ivo or six of smaller dimtMisions foi*-
niin<i^ alto^ethor an archijx'la^o wliicli is hnt
the fornKM* delta of the river intersoctcMl by
narrow channels. It is evident tliat tliere is
actually a new delta forming itself,* ahont
10 miles below, followinj^ the shores of the
sea which are perceptibly advancinjj^ to the
concpiest of the waters. All these islands are
covered by a luxuriant vegetation, their
formation indicates the richness of their soil
and that of the neijjfhboni'inijf rejjfion. Herds
of oxen roam at pleasure all summer in
tliese pasture-lands which I declare, without
any possibility of bein^ mistaken to be the
finest in the world. They cannot be surpas-
sed in fjuality. Tliere are no poisonous nor
useless herb. The hay is much superior in
quality to the millet of our meadows jud^in^
by the excellent taste it imparts to the flesh
r.nd milk of the animals who eat it. The
Company of H. B. rears in those fertile fields
hundreds of horned-cattle, also pigs, horses
and other domestic animals. I see no reason
why a settler could not do what the power-
ful Company has been doing for centuries.
Besides, there is room for more people on
the millions of acres of exellent land over
which we travel in returning towards the
I-
40
Houlli, }(s r will ('xplniii Inter nii. I luive
s|)(>k(Mi Mboiif tlio clitnatc in ^(Micral. That
of Moose is ciM'taiMly vory FnvorHi)l(' to a^ii-
(Miitnro. To coiitiadict t his assertion would
he toconihat all the ex|)ei'ience of past yeai's.
The nuMnlxMs of tln^ (company need hay aiid
tliey ^et it in ahiilidance. The ctM'eals would
be of no use to them for tlu\y ha\o no mill
an<l besides, t]i(\y ^et their lloui* very cheap
dii'oct from Knjjfia nd. Wheat ripens at Moose
and i'urtlier noi'th too ; the Chief- Factor
told me that heads of ^vheat having
be(Mi thrown away on the soil took root
th(n*e, and came to full matui-ity. This
is not surprising at all when yon look at the
splendid <j^arden ri^snlts at the Fort. I found
no differc'nce whattn'er, at the sanies ])erio(l
of the year, betwt'cn the ve<j^etation of this
country and that of the land bordering the
shores of St Lawrence in tlie vicinity of Y i-
mouraska. Now, when you consider tl it
Moose-Factory is situated below the ^J ®
parallel and the foot of lake Temiskam ig
bidow the 47 ^ , an expanse of more tl m
300 leagues towards the south, we must .d-
mit its great possibilities for colonizati >ii,
since the soil is everywhere remarka My
rich y For centuries we have been decei-' chI
by representations that this territory ' \riis
not fit for agriculture, arid, icy, cold and un-
inhabitable. " A fetv arpents of snoiv. " Has
not the province of Quebec been thus simi-
larly decried ?
41
n in
.ti-
ll >nj
ad
I' v'aa
Hil-
das
mi-
ll
Frain Maitse to tlie Jimcfion.
W\' will MOW IcMvc bcliiiid us the .NFoosc-
Fnctory sett IciiKMif and penetrate a tewliun-
di'cds of miles into tlie solitudes of the fo-
rests which st^perate th(^ traders of the Nort li
from Queh(»c civilization centres.
1 cannot rest contented with the jjftMieral
definition \ ^^ave of this re;4ion vi/ : " a vast
])lain of clay most favoni'ahle to coloin/a-
tion " I must speak as a nuin can who has
visited the locality and who is in a ])osition
to j^ive details. AV<' will then take our hiicli-
])ai'k canoe and ascend pat iently the rapid
current winch, after a dlstanct? of 1<S nnles,
will hiMujjf us to the confluence of l^iver
Ahittihi with Moose river, tlu^ wat<M's i)f
Avhicli we are ascending. The <;eneral aspivt
of th'o expanse is uniform. The river 2 nuh^s
"wide in some places, is shallow, pehhly, and
intei'sect(Ml hy lunnerous bars. These 18 miles
consist in numerous flat rapids, succee(U*d
in each instance by c{ilni and deep pools.
These rapids aie not the result of a sudden
elevation of the ground, for the average of
slope in not (piite 3 feet to the mile or about
()()' on a length of 18 miles. The rounded
boulders whichare found in the l)ottom of the
river and which partly form the banks are
of the same kind as those we meet with on
the sliores of James Bay viz : a granitical
formation, with limestone in smaller
proportion. Tlie average size of the largest
12 —
does not exceed .3 or 4 feet in diameter ; tlie
surface beiii«j^ genernlly I'oiinded, weatliered,
and |)olisli(Hl,a sur(^ si<j^ii tliat they have been
in contact with water and ice. On nearin^
the .shores you will observe that the same
species of rocks exist in the earth. Tliese
stones are inlaid in the layers of clay,
decreasinjj^ in number .nnd size as they ap-
proach the surface of the soil, and disjippear
altojj^ethei' 5 or G feet before reaching the
vegetable layer. This hitter deposit varies in
thickness accordinfjj to the undulaiion, the
lower levels having a preponderance of rich
alluvion. The banks of the river have thus a
uniform heij^ht of about twenty feet above
low water mark. Tlie floods in sprinj^, being
very sudden and copious cause a tremendous
amount of erosion on the clay banks. The
stones remain in part but the mind is car-
ried to the estuary and there forms deltas,
islands, points and new-shores. Owing to
this perpetual erosion the lower part of
Moose Kiver is rendered unnavigable for
vessels of ordinary tonnage. It would re-
quire considerable dredging to form another
channel deep enough to allow of navigation
vessels of ordinary tonnage. Dredging how-
ever would not be difficult, such operations
would result in obtaining a navigable
channel and largely prevent the constant
erosion on both banks.
If you cast a glance at the forests on both
sides of the river you will notice that the red
and white spruce predominate. Years ago,
— 43-
there were enormous t^•e(^s liere but beiu^ so
close to Moose, they have ffiUen uihUt the
axe of the })o\\ erful Company, which I am
tohl at one time did considerable business in
this kind of timber with England. Ten years
ago you could still see the ruins of an old mill
at the foot of the first raj^id. Tlie Governors
have replaced it by a steam saw-mill where
I have seen logs 30 inches diameter ! What
a barren country I I
III
From the Junction to Chty-FdUs.
(di.st(t7icc : 137 miles)
Here, we are at an elevation of 60 feet abo-
ve the level of the sea. We now leave Moose
River to proceed up the muddy Abittibi.
As we will not see the limpid waters of the
noble Moose River again, let us take a last
glimpse of it. The scenery is beautiful : a
rocky islet 50 ft. high at the sunnnit, and
rather narrow defies the raging waves, and
divides the two currents which at this spot
are about ecpial in width say \ of a mile.
To tlic! right, we behold the brown but
transparent waiters of the Moose gliding
cahnly through a labyrinth of small islands,
of elegant formation. To the left, the turbid
Abittibi rolls across the rocky ledges, the
summits of which stand menacingly above
the foam, like monsters waiting to. devour
the? passer by.
Nevertheless, we must go in that direction,
7
14 —
if we want to reach the Eden of Teniiska-
minj^insteadof goin^ towards Lake 8ii])erior.
Although, its waters are not tiMiipting,
the Ahittibi river has in store for us, agrea-
ble surprises and pleasing landsoai)es. Were
there only the stately trees, we nh'eady see,
and the beautiful roses which adorn t^
shore, it would be quite enough. At tL m
phice, the river is nearly on the same level
as the summit of the Falls we have just
left, but the shores are considerably higher
on both sides. They reach before proceeding
far an av^erage height of 50 feet. The shores
are covered with the same kind of rocks.
There is, in the rear, a sort of sloping ter-
race between 100 and 200 feet wide. This
bottom land is covered with high tufted
grasses from amongst which springs forth a
veritable forest of rose-trees which are in
bloom at the beginningof July and perfume
the air. These fragrant flow^'rs from a gi-
gantic garland extending along the river
banks 20 to 30 miles. These bright colors
standing out in relief on a green ground al-
ternately light and dark, form a charming
picture. As a back ground to this scenery
stands out the boldly defined clilf of a gray-
ish yellow color deeply furrowed by bab-
bling streandets. They represent the drai-
nage system of the forest. We can see above
our heads, in the banks the pi'otendi ng roots
of the trees. Such is the aspect of the river s
bed and the land in pro dmity to its banks.
Tt is evident that the atti'M'-fiv(^ bottom
- 45 -
laiHls wt3 adiiiircd :i v\ liilo si^o aro forinod
out of the (lehris of tlic elill's. Those lands
are flooded every sprincr, ,viid the wild wa-
• ters belabour the walls of (day, and ai-e con^
tinually eneroaehinj- upon them ; in fact the
land slips are sorn-titnes considerable and
numbers of trees are precii)itated headlong
into the river. The current carries this mate-
rial out to the estuary and 8(^a and the Esqui-
nuiux are provided with wood thereby at a
cheap rate. This fact shows the delicate so-
hcitude of the good Mother "Providence"
who never fails to provide for the wants of
her children. Now, if we climb up to the
higher table-laud, and walk a short dis-
tance into the interior, wo will forget
the fact that the river flows at 50 and so>
nietimes at 100 feet beneath.
We stand iu a vast plain slightly undula-
ting, covered with dense forests ' in which
the white spruce predominates. We notice
also some splendid bir.di-trees. The soil is
generally covered with a thick and damp
moss and the underbush being dense one
can proceed but slowly. The Indians have
bla/.ed, here and there, portages to expedite
their tnivols from one lake to another, in
pursuit of fur bearing animals but, I assure
you these paths are far from being of any
practical use from the colonization point of
view.
— 40
IV
From Clcuj-Falls to New-Post,
(dititance : 17 A nilles)
We in list not omit to mention Clay Falls,
which is devidecl into two chutes. On one
side a ledge of lime-stone rock 10' thick is vi-
sible.
The banks here are a hundred feet high.
At the entrance of the Portage, at the water
line and even a little higher, thei-e is an ho-
rizontal layer of lime-stone, in beds varying
in thickness from G inches to 2 or W feet.
This stone is very soft, it fractures easily and
practically Avithout splintering. The fracture
shows the stone to be of a grayish bistre
shade. It is most interesting to observe tlie3
numerous fossil remains it contains. It is
easy to recognize trunks of trees and you
can actually count the annual rings.
You also see boughs of all sizes, bark, buds,
in a word a buried forest. These substances
are mixed up with the clay which has itself
undergone the process of p(>trifaction and
exists at present in the shape of the dull
coloured lime-stone above mentioned. Do
you wish to understand how this transfor-
mation is brought about ? Just lift up your
eyes and observe all this wood converted
into stone was at one time undoubtedly
spruce ; the petrified cones sufficiently prov^e
this.... What is this, 80 feet ab^ve our
heads ? A forest of living spruce-trees, and
under its roots, a clay which is co?istantly
„ 47 -
(TUinblin^ aw«*iy uiulenniiifHl hy nmnorous
springs. The forest is tlius gradually thrown
down .'ind becomes hurried in th(5 chiy. In a
few centuries those trees will be turned into
stone, if we way judge by the fate of their
prc'decessors.
One feels ania/ed in conteniphiting these
I)h(!noniena of nature ? What I ha\'e already
said proves the quantity of clay there is in
this territory. It exists in layers of great
depth. I make special mention of it on the
"■shores of tin? Abittibi because there only,
properly speaking, we can grasj) an adecpiate
idea of it : A country of clay means an inex-
haustible country. There can bo no mistake
on this head, here is the foundation of an
immense agricultural country. I rei)eat for
the last time that such is nature of the ter-
ritory from Hudson Bay to lake Temiska-
niing, with very little exception.
As to the zone which now occupies our at-
tention its distinctive character consists in
the abrupt elevation of the banks above the
main river Abittibi, and the dlfliculty of
transport arising from same. Martens' Fall
which we soon come to is nothing but a
series of whirlpools and cascades. After this*
we proceed on i)lacid and deep waters as far
as New-Post. We have ascended lUO feet
since leaving Moose-Factory in a distance of
00 to 70 miles. Ilore the river has not such
steep banks or rather the heights have re-
ceded about a mile on each side.
They appear as regular hummocks, always
— 4S —
of clay, about a 100 feet high, and following
each other like the beads of a rosary, as far
as the hillocks of Long Portage where we
may well say Gloria Patri. The lire devasta-
ted this locality about 20 years ago, so that
the new vegetation is not very far advanced
and gives the country soniewluit a civilized
aspect.
These rounded hillocks covered with small
green bushes, might easily be mistaken for
vineyards. But here w.' are at New-Post.
CHAPTER IV
THIRD ZONE
From New-Post to lake Abiftibi.
(distance : 102 miles, mean altitude 4-f2')
Neic Post.
New-Post according to its name is of re-
cent crt'ation. It is a fort established by the
Company of H. B. to keep an eye on the In-
dians of the locality who are disposed to act
independently of the Company. It is a post
of secondary importance and not relished
by the Indians judging by the name they
have given it Gaguine Wakaigan or Mos-
quito Fort. It is an appropriate name, for
the poor natives are sadly annoyed by these
pests. I wonder why these sanguinary little
demons have a predilection for the place.
The fire has devastated all the environs ; the
40
p^round is not damp, the Fort is surrounded
by fine fields well cleared and cultivated, fat
animals pasture alonjL^ the hillsides and like
man these poor beasts are a prey to the ra-
pacious voracity of this plague of the; woods.
Can it be that it is a scourj^e which God
sends upon our excellent traders to punish
them for selling their goods at such high
prices an<l for charging travellers so exhor-
bitantly ? I am inclintnl to believe it when I
reuKMnber how much I paid for a hundi'ed
pins, viz : one dollar I that it is a cent for
ea(di pin ; surely this is enough to deserve a
few stings from the mosquitoes.
II
Tlie Long-Portdfje.
Lot us now leave New-Post. After preeee-
ding 5 or 6 mil^s wo reach the famous hil-
locks of Long-Portage. On our right is the
river lashed into foam by a wild descent
over formidable declivities ; in fact this is
the roughest portion of the River Abittibi.
The river emerges from this gorge by a nar-
row and deep channel through the solid
rock. The precipices on each side are so high
and close together that the light is some-
what obscured, a hoarse reverberating noise
is constantly heard. The canon is exceedin-
gly tortuous, the water is thrown to and
fro in all directions, the noise is appalling
and one recedes with fear after contempla-
ting from the edge of the precipice this
50
chaos of water. This impressive scenery con-
tiniies for about 2 or .*? miles ; but you must
turn aside from your re^ubir course and
make a detour in order to view it. The path-
way inclines towards the left and, ascendinjjf,
wintls in between and sometimes over tlio
hillocks whose crests are many hundred, feet
hi^h always clay ; not a single stone ; they
are all at the bottom of the river. From the
summit of the hillocks especially to th(5
North West, a panorama opens before you
of which you can form no conception if you
have not visited those gorgeous solitudes.
You behold at your feet the tops of largo
trees which, in the distance, look like small
bushes, then as far as the eye can reach
stretch the graceful undulations of the plain
succeeding one another like the waves of
the ocean after a tempest. The forests form
a sea of green, in which roam herds of deer
scarcely cognizant of the existence of man.
Somc^ day those solitudes will be populated ;
the forest will disappear ; we will see pa-
rishes established. The church steeples stan-
ding out prominently near by this roaring
cataract saw mills and factories will trans-
form the products of this virgin forest into
marketable comniodoties. How good God
must be to have kept in store for us such an
ample reserve supply— in fact another Ca-
naan — and I offer up prayer for thee, Canada,
my native land !
-51
111
^s of
orm
leer
man.
ted;
pa-
tan-
rlng
•ans-
into
God
•han
Ca-
lada,
Frederic liirrr.
((dtltiidc .',U.i')
Tho distance fi'oni New-Post to the dis-
charge of lake Al)ittibi is l()2niiles ; the mean
elevation of tliis t.'il)le-hnid is 492 feet above
sea-lcA'el at the mouth of Frederic ]?iver,
wliich I shall take as the central point of
this region. Here is, according to my hum-
hie o])inion and ex])erience, the agricultural
I'egion par excellence of the future. It is use-
h'ss for mo to repeat all I have said aV)out
tlie land. But, if possible, this is more advan-
tageous than anything we have seen since
our departure from James Bay. It is not
necessary to throw up the soil to examine
into its productive powers ; the vegetation it
produces naturally is sufficient to give us an
ample idea of its wonderful fertility. .The
.spruce and the birch reach gigantic propor-
tions. I do not hesitate to say that these
trees are superior to the finest sj)ecimens of
the same varieties which I have seen in the
valley of the Ottawa. I said at the beginning
of this woi'k that the white spruce is Ihe in-
digenous tree in this country.
The pine is more of a curiosity than
anything else. You must not infer from this
that the (diniate is severe for I have seen the
pine in abundance in colder latitudes, but I
am inclined to believe that each region has
its peculiar vegetation. It may depend on
the absence of seeds which for reasons
S
iiiikiiowii to us have iiover been ti'mispoilcd
to tliL'so places, f am sum that the phiutiii^f
ol' pine would jH'ochice in thes(^ re^nous a
I'orest gi'owlh of tliis variety of tiuii)ei'
e<|ual to that ol' tlu' valley of the Ottawa.
J hav(^ see), beaut it'iil cedais on the hanks of
Ahittihi river and a few small elms on tlu?
islands at the confluence of river Fr<Mlei'ic.
All the trees found to the south in the valley
of the St Lawi"(MU'e exist here, with the ex-
('e])tion of the ma])le and ])im'. I^eiuitivitin^
about 20 nules into the foi"(^st, 1 notice that
tli(^ gi'ound is moi'(^ \o\v\ than elsewluM'e.
This territory rennnds mc^ of the ^reat
burnt lands of tbe ()tt(»r and \Vhit(^ I'iNcrs
ai'ound lake Temiskaminn*. Tlu^ countiy' is
dotted with small lakes wherc^ the ))eavers
reign suprenu% brooks tjlknl with trout
spread in every direction. In different spots
"Nvhere fire has laid waste and wbert^ tlu^
trees liave been uprooted, a luxuriant vej^c^-
tation has taken j)lace on tlu» soil. It is a ge-
nerous soil Avhich wants ])ut air and sun to
demonstrate the ])r()(bictiveiu'ss contained
in its bosom.
Instead of these wild heibs wliich have
however a certain value, if millet or clover
were planted, what magnificent meadows
would si)ring forth I As to wheat and other
cereals, I am positive they would thrive
wonderfully.
— 5:3 —
IV
The FnU (if fhr fioquols,
70 miles lii^luT thnii FrcdiM'ic Kivcr avo
pass hi C/nUc (Hi.r /rfKjmn's. An old l(')^i'inl of
Ili(» Alj^oiKiuiiis I't'lalcs Ijow tlie Irocjuois
jifHve tin; iianu^ to tin's waterfall ; as tliirt
])ainj)lilot is liiiiitcd, I will siin|)ly say that
this sj>l('iHii(l fall of 15 to 20 feet hi*;;!) is ad-
mirahh' siliiat<'d for utilisat ion later on. It
is cliariuinj^' on acconul of its hejuity. land-
scapes, hut as an in<lustrial eentro it would
ho porfeet. At the foot of the Fall, the river
forms a vast (leej) hasin a e()U])Ui of miles
in circumfeieuee and around wln'fh is an ex-
eellent site for a village. Navigation on the
riv(3r ahove and helow tlie Fall is exeellent,
tlie hed of the river is wide and deej) and the
few ohstructions can easily he overcome. I
mention this fact to show that Ahittihi ri-
ver, witliout alVordin^- in tir«t rate naviga-
tion, could at least he used for a local tralic
hy means of har^es which would certainly
1)0 a feature of some impoi'tance.
The Iro(piois Fall is ri^ht in the center f)f
th(- most heavily tinihered portion of th(i
basin of the Ahittihi. The spruce, the birch
and the cedar j^row in compact masses ro-
bust and straight. The inunense value of the
timber in this region will be demons-
tratiMl Liter on ; at })resent ))ut an inade-
quate idea of same can be formed.
— 54
V
The Kotjidji.
We (lid not tnkc Hni(^ to .'kIiiui'c all tlio
))('im<iriil F;illsMiul i-npids wliicli uc met in
(•oniin*,^ hvvv iiom .J.mu's U.-iy. It would li{iv(^
been very intci-cstin^- hut too Icn^lhy for*
<liis work. Let us he sntisficd willi cnslin^- a
^Imiico on tliis one. \hv last hot'ore icachinj^^
^rcat lak(! Al)i(tibi ; it is oO feet lii^li. Tlu^
elevation of t he ^lound wliicli creates th(»
walert'all, marks a complete chan^i? in th(5
ve^t'tntion. Ahove this tall the trees ar(^ not
so lii^h nor so larj,^'. Should it he attributed
to the sharper eniospherti of Iak(^ Abittibl
Avhich is 7 miles distant, or to some ^reat
fire wliicli at a remote period (levastate<l the
forest? I shouhl rather coincide with the
views of the learned I)r P>ell and many
otliers, tliat tliis (hlVerence is caused by cir-
cumstances about which I sliall say a tew
words.
VI
Jjititmh's and AH I hides.
Ilfi^lii^ of l.inds
917'
I.nki< Ahittilii
857'
906'
l,;ikc of l'"iftrcn
\
\ W'.ift'is
of tllO
, , ^ St I.nwrcncf
l.iiko
612' 'IViiiislMiniinC
819'
Mattawaii ~~-
(.)uohoc
Jaiiu's Hay
I.ovcl of the sen
St LawTi'iU'i!
It is i\ j)]iysica! pcculiAi'ity known to cvoi'y
one, tluit the elevation of a place above sea-
level infhK^nces the climate of the said i)lace
similarly as does hititnde and conseciuently,
risin^^ to tlu^ hi^^hi^st atmosiiheres has the
same elVect on the tliermometer as to ap-
proach the pole. This point heinj^ settled, let
us look on the above (lia»;ram wheie I have
i'Mlieated the respective altitud(?s of several
jiiaces of dill'erent latitudes. Taking 51 c 15'
hititude of Moose-Factory and 18- 41' lati-
tude of Fort Albany you'will find that the
latter place, althouj,di it is situated 210 miles
to tlie south, does not enjoy a milder climate
— no ~
tliMii the Hist foi" tlio I'cnsoii, oasily under-
stood, tliat the {iltitudc of lake Ai)ittil)i is
857 feet a})ove Moose. The altitiuh? of Fre-
deric river beinj^' 11)2 feet makes the climate
mil(hii' tliaii at the lit^'^ht of lands whicli is
1)17 feet al)o\e the; level of the sea, althon^h
Frederic I'iver is 200 miles to the north. '
Mf)re()\'er this calculation is not tlu^ory.
A casual observation is enough to establish
the fact. Those Avho liave tra\ died from the
Province of Quelxn* or Ontario towards the
north, and who liavinjjf r(»ac]ied tlu^ lu^ij^ht
of lands believe that tJie climate ijicreases
in severity, may take courage, they ^vill
soon ])ei*ceive that in conn'n^ down towards
the basin of James Bay. it is (juite tlie oppo-
site. Tlu\v will suffer from heat sometimes
uid)eara])le, and they* Avill see by the vi«j^or
of tlu^ vegetation that this countiy is far
fi'om being the feai'Ful Siberia described by
certain travellers. *
Bt'sides I must not omit a peculiarity
re^i^arding veg'etation whi<*h obtains in hiich
hititudes. It is the ra])idity with whicli the
f^'i'owth ])roj4'r(;sses. The days beinj^ of an
uhusumI length, the summer nights are
warm. Thus, there is no discontinuance of
progress. Tiic l.vit' licssitattvs to conn; out of
the bud ; but once it has done so, it grows
(Exceedingly (piickly. The vegetation is com-
])leted in a short laps(> of time ; what matters
a couple of months more if they are not
needed ? The lu'incipal point is that frost
should intervene to ruin all hopes in one
- - 57 ~
niVlit ; hut smmiu'i' IVost is a tliin^^ uiilieai'd
ol' in those lands. Add to tin's tlio extreme
fertihty of the soil and you have all the
conditious necessary for an a<;'i'i('ultural
country even thouj^h you cainiot cultivate
oranjjft^s !
CUAITKR V
rorirni zoxk
Fi'ijin hike Ahitllhl fo 7\'uit's/c<i m/n</.
(di.s/dncf : !■'>■') nn'/csj
Lake AhitUbi.
All theses heautiful Indian names have their
meaidng". This one is com])osed of two
words : abifhi ha/f. an<l hi which si<>-ni(ies
VHitar. Sonu^ say that this namc! was j^-iven
to the hike l)ecaus(» it is situated half way
hetween / rcafh/ do not Inioir irhot and
Hudson 15 ly. My hunil)l(^ (^pinion is that the
name was (ii-st j^-ivcMi to th ^ river and after-
wards extonde I to the lakt^ I suppose that
what I h ive said ahout the separation of the
waters of the Ahittihi from those ol' Moose
has not been for;^^otten. Ilerc^ occui-s :i [)he-
nomenou similar to that of the St Lawrence
and the Ottawa at the extremity of the is-
land of Montreal. For a considerahle distance
the watcH's tlo not mix to<^ethei-, iu\{{ form a
line of demarcfition easily seen, (sasily un-
derstood when you tliiid^ of th" diHereiice
~ 58 -
which (ixists l)(3t\vo;'n the clour limpid wators
of tho Mooso, and tlio muddy HtroMiii of tho
Abittibi. Tlie Indians eonld say Abittabi for
two reasons : I ^ bocanso tlie waters of one
of th(;s(i rivers foi' a distance do not com-
min<;l(> a))|)arently witli otliors : 2- because)
tlu; water of the Abittibi is lialf tniter and
lialf nvul so to speak. I tliink therefore tli(\s{»
two facts (uiou<;-li to justify my opinion. Let
every one havci liis own oj)inion lio wever and
we sliall not be worse friends. Anyhow, it
does not prevent hike Al)ittibi from bcinjj^ a
line slieet of water lOmihvs loni;- and 10 miles
wid(\ It is shallow, .abounding- with fish and
<lotted wilh small islands which <^ive it a
most ])icturesque appearance.. The land to
the Norih-West shows a few mountains
which may be 600 or 800 feet hi.i,di. Small
hillocks are seen here and there ; but gene-
rally speakin<^ the neijj^hbouring soil is level.
Its quality is good like the rest course of
this vast region and the territory of Abittibi
would make a sph^ndid center of coloniza-
tion. The c!in\ate is not so favourable as in
othin' northern parts, like the shores of Fre-
deric river for instance, but it is not severe
enough to make the raising of wheat, an
impossible thing. Thc^y actually harvest
very good barley, and potatoes in abundance.
The potatoe hug has not yet put in an appea-
rance here or in James Bav. The climate in
all this territory is v(M"y salubrious. There is
about the same quantity of snow-fall, per-
haps less than fit Ottawa. As a g(»nei'al rule
— 59 —
we niay lay down as a principle that wheat
ripens and comes to maturity here and one
cannot therefore class this region as heing
unfit for agriculture, that is to say the slope
extending from lake Temiskaming to the
shores of James Bay including even the
height of lands and lands round lake Abit-
tibi. SiJlendid forests surround this lake.
The white and red spruce predominate as
usual, lied pine is to be seen on the flanks of
the hills and on all the islands in the lake.
The Company of H. B. possesses at lake
Abittibi a large Fort : about 4()0 algonquin
families trade their furs here witli the Com-
pany. The Reverend Oblats Fathers have
erected a pretty clnu-ch, and a prosperous
mission exists.
II
The height of hnnh..
Such is the name given to the ri<lge divi-
ding the waters of the 8t Lawrence and of
the Ottawa from those which flow towards
Hudson Bay. Here you vould expect to
see formidable mountains, ugged and unin-
viting, standing as the columns of Hercules.
There is nothing of the sort however. Of all
the regions through which we have jour,
neyed, this is the most level and least rug-
ged. This is })y all means a region of lakes
of all sha])es and sizes. God has here placed
a multitude of inexhaustible res(»rvoirs dis-
pensing water in full measure, an<l in this
manner supply numerous rivers. For the
9
— 00 —
first time since leaving James Bay we meet
tht; wliite ])ine. llcnt hejj^in the Pine forest.
I nearly said inexhanstible, but alas ! they
ra))i<lly disajipear under the axe of the lum-
berman — and the fires kindled by the eare-
lesness of the C'hoj)])ers. It is really heart
rendin«j;* to see such richness, bestowed on
our country by Providence, thus sac riliciMl.
How many thousands aye millions havt^
thus been lost I Tlu; ])resent biws am not
sufficient to prevent tliese desasters. This
(luestion should be seriously considered ; nnd
the necessary expenses made to ])revent the
destruction of our forests; this would indeed
prove a profitable venture if it brou<;ht
about such result Let us not leave the height
of lands without castinj^- a «;Iance on
the Wevv(dizonadji ' Sorcerer's niountjiin
which stands like ' )rked })eak in the mid-
dle of the plain, si . Vir to the mount m in of
St Hilaire in the v«. of the St Lawrc^ice.
It is the only elevation worthy of tlint Tiame
we meet in this locality. You can see it
twenty miles away ; it looks as blue as the
sky ; is nearly 1000 feet hi^h. Charmin*;* in-
dian legends are connecttul with this peak^
but Ave have no time to (Unvote to them.
Ill
Lac des Qtiinze.
After a day and a halt' trav(d!ing Ave r(\nch
the Lac dcs QuJuze about 15' below the
level of the heij>*ht of lands. This lake like
— 61 —
ToiniskMininjj: is hut a vast enlargement of
the Ottfiwa Hiver.
We are now on the southern declivity and
hehold with pleasure the maple, our natio-
nal tree and ensij^^n. The lake is of nn irre-
gniar shaju^ presenting- somewhat the figure
of a cross.
It is very deep and has hut a few islands ;
it is surrounded hy dense forests of pine.
The soil is highly favourahle to agriculture.
Pushing towards the east you pass, without
rapids, into the waters of the Ottnwa river
which is, at this point finer an<l more ma-
jestic than under the t-owers of the Pjirlia-
ment Buildings. Soon another large lake
opens hefore us : the Winav<^ia that the
English mispronounce as Mijizowadja : these
individuals (I must say it c/j jnissdnf, it will
relieve me) have a special talent for de-
foruiing and changing all the heautiful In-
dian names that are so a])])roi)riate in their
meam'ng and so euphonious in their sound.
We sliall Tiow |)roceed hecause the diversion
I have just made puts us sonnnvhat out of
our course. It would lead us towards the
sources of the Gatineau which I do not wish
to descrihe to (hiy. We are gt)ing to Temiska-
ming. I always said it was my (hirdcn of
Eden. It is a pity I was expelled from it. I
assurer you it was not for eating foi-hiddon
fj'iii^ .1 hop(^ to entering it again.
— 62
IV
The rapkla of " Des Quinze. "
Lac (les Quinze beinj^ 1X)0' above the level
of the sea, and lake Temiskaniinjif 012 feet ;
as a conseijueiice the dilference of 294 feet
marks the total elevation of the rapids
throuj^h which the Ottawa descends from
one lake to the otiier. This ahriii)t descent is
completed in a distance of 15 miles ; this
gives an average of at least l.'i feet per
mile. This induces us to believe that there is
between the tvv'o lakes a barrier of solid
mountains — but I am still seeking for them —
In traversing this locality by land you scar-
cely notice any inclination towards the
south. It is simply the plain of clay,
l)ropped up by a slo])e of gr<M,nite base and
unbroken except where the river claims its
rights. I have given years figo in my nai'ra-
tions published in the " Oj)inion Publique "
a detailed description of these famous ra-
pids. I was amazed by the beauty of the
splendid landscapes about which an en-
glishman of H. B. one day said to me : " It
is the only spot worthy of the brush ol' a
painter. " I am not so exclusive, but I say it
is simply gorgeous. As to the economical
prospe(?t, which is the object of this work, I
think I agree with all who have visited
those noted rapids, when I say that they are
the most valuable hydraulic power of all
Canada. Some sav that the names of fifteen
comes from the number of the rapids. Tliis
63
assertion is n iitth^ kjizardous — tliey niij^ht
just as well be named the Thirty or the
Fifty. For my part, I never succeeded in
counting them. But I remark having coun-
ted more than 25 and real waterfalls at that.
This immense hydraulic powers stand bet-
Aveen two great lakes suri'ounded by magni-
ii.'cnt forests and agricultural land. Supe-
rior to any we ])ossess in the Donnnion.
Don't you think it might before long become
another By town ? This important locality is
entirely in the proxince of Quebec.
CHAPTER VI
rill<: KIXJION OF TKMISKAMINCJ.
80 much lias been said of this country du-
ring the last few yeai's, that tli I'e is no
other alternative for the ])resent scribe than
to repeat what his predecessors havci written.
There is one consolation left. It is to see
that all those who treated my remarks
as visionary when first I ventured to
reveal to the world this marvellous
country, to day clamor more loudly
than me that what I said is still wide f)f the
truth. I am ])roud of their conversion which
I remember having prophesied. May the
same thing lia])pen for regards the regions
I extol in this ])aniphlet. I shall not say
much about Temiskaming but will be con-
tented with a general glance. What I desi-
gnate as the region of Temiskann'ng em-
braces all the lands watered by the great
64 —
lake and its tributaries. This j^ives an area
of 18,225 square miles. It is (|uite a i)r<)vince.
Lake Teniiskaniing which occupies the
centre of this immense basin is situated
at 012 feet above the level of the sea, lati-
tude 47 o .50' and lon^ntude 7\) c ,54'. It is 75
niihis lonjjf and 10 miles wide. It is ])erha|)s
the only lake of such an extent which is na-
vigable all its len^ht for vessels of the heavy
tonna<»e. The " Great Eastern " could easily
float on it. The lake owes its name to its ex-
ti'aordinary de[)th — temi deep and (/a ml or
h(()isl ex|)anse of waters— six lar«>e rivers
some of which more considerable thiin tlu^
" Du Lievre," How into lake Temiskaminj^:.
Th(\y are as follows, viz : the Ottawa itself,
of which the lake is but a vast enlarjj^ement,
the white river, navigable for steam-boats
for .30 miles, the Otter which waters the
townships of Guij^ues and Duhaniel ; the
Kepewa, the discharjj^e of a vast iidand sea
which stretches its arms as far as the sour-
ces of the Gntineau ; the Montreal river and
the Matapidjiwan, rich with natural curiosi-
ties.
A multitude of smaller streams join these
main arteries or bring their tribute directly
to the great lake.
All those rivers, large and small, run
through the lands most favourable forcoloni-
zation. It is the vast plain, or rather, the begin-
ning of the vast ])lain of clay Avliich extends
towards the north as far as the shores of
.jjinies Hay and in the west, are connected
U'SO
luls
. of
Ited
- 05 —
with th(^ ^rcs'it ])rah'i('s of Manitoha. I soe
no (lilVorciici^ wliatciver betwocn tlio climate
of Tomiskaniin^- and tliat of Ottawn, cxeop-
tiiig' that hin'e tlio oxcessivo lieat ot'siiinmor
is oxqiiisitoly temixM'od by tlio noiyfliboiirin^
Wfitoi's. Tliis li(iuid huihs, once it is warinod,
])rosoiits the autiiiMii frost, coveriiijj^ the;
sliores witb a i)r()ttH'tiii|4" fo^, during the
cold ni<j^lits at the end of SepteiulxM'. The
white pine of coiuiiKucc^ exists in abundance ;
nmnei'ous rafts of scjiiare timber have been
(h*a,\vn fi'om the vall<\y of Temiskamin<>-, but
still the foi'ests seem to be ])ractically un-
touched. There is no doubt that this region
Avill remain for years to come the hea<l-
(juarters of the cJianticrs of tlu^ Dominion.
Unfortunately, Temiskauiin*^, like all the
other wooded regions of our Province, has
not been spared by the tire. It is certaiidy
a j»'reat pity ; but on the other hand, when
we consider the immense portions of land
which have been chumnl by tln^ conflagra-
tion, we appreciate more the bent^lit which
has n^sulted for the settler, than we regret
the destroyed forest. In fact the ck^'irinjjf
of land is such an easy task in some j)laces,
that I could mention the names of nian_y
settlers who have cleared three (irpents in
a week. When the earth is thus cleared
not a stump is left. As to rocks theres are
none except ou the? mountains. The eleva-
tions here and there spring from the level,
plain like isbinds in the sea. They are no-
thing but beauty marks and break the mo-
— V)() —
iiotojiy oF the liori/oiital sui-fjuu?. From tho
smnniit of those liills you can see in tho
distance the fields rec(;iitlv cultivated which
seem like spots of hrij^ht green amidst
which aj)pears tho small dwellinj^ of the
settler; and furtlnu* on the great lake which
reflects the azure sky ; larg<' bags running
hack between abrupt cai)es which soon
become narrow deliles partly open showing
the black blue sky overhead and the con-
junction of the land and water.
There is something piiculiar in lake Temis-
kaming. If you cross it by boat it appears to
b{^ fringed by high mountains and bluff cliifs
which sometimes overhang : Many unobser-
vant travelers have inferred from this fact
that Temiskaming is the most inhospitable
country in the world. But all these moun-
tains are scarcely one mile in width and
they seem to vanish out of sight as soon as
you step to the plain. I might com[)are
lake Temiskaming to an immense basin
surrounded by a wall, or to a fountain in
the center of a garden. Its delightful shores,
its varied views, recall to our mind the
scenery of the Saguenay. When this splen-
did lake is surrounded by pretty villages
and white houses clustered around their
chui'ch, we niiglit fancy ourselves on the
banks of the St. Lawrence, near Kamou-
raska or River du Loup. My fond desire
has always been to populate this region
with Canadians and to establish the parish
system of the Province of Quebec. But who
-67
I MS
)}ll'0
iisin
n ill
res,
the
I en-
tires
leir
the
nou-
sire
>-iou
Mill reali/cd (Ins tlivam of mine ?. . . . Surely
not the \v<)ul<l-l)e coloni/Htiou cojiiiKmieH
who only aim at tlie filling of their own
I)ui'se.
The brave pioneers who populated the
Canaihi of our fathers had other motives in
view. The foundation of a nation has for
its basis abnegation and self sacriHee. Those
virtues have their soureo,only in theelnirch
of Jesus-Christ.
Without ])raotieal religion there is only a
deceitful and hypocritical pati'iotism. Church
then should b(^ ahead of colonization. You
understood this, Mr Prime Minister, and
realized it by choosing, amidst universal
applause of the nation, the worthy and
clever cure Labolle, the eminent apostle of
colonization, and placed him with you at
the head of this great national enterprise,
to assist in the developement of our country.
Such wisdom was not even thought of by
your predecessors, but fills with joy all
Canadians who have at heart the expansion
of their country, and they augur from it an
era of progress and prosperity they did not
dare to hope for, until now. Owing to your
w^atchful administration and intelligent and
well informed patriotism, confidence (long
ago lost,) comes back in all ranks of the
people. From those ranks will spring forth
legions desirous of serving under your com-
mand, and anxious to lend you their devoted
cooperation for the work you have underta-
ken with so much tact and which you push so
10
— 68 —
vi^oui-oiisly. Tlio (.'hiirch nm\ tlio Sfjite, mo
ImriiKiriiously assoclHttMl, will work woudoi'M
and raiso hi^^Ii tho i)r(\sti^(< ol' tlio (Canadian
name.
This is th(^ wish of youi- most dovotod
servant who asks but for cmo tln'n^ more :
It is to sooji join th(^ body of brave soldiers
who devote tliemselves to t\w welfare of
their country, to tjike part in th(ur ;,rlorious
cami>ai^ns and to di(^ with thcun uiidcM- tlm
Hag of Utsligion and Fatherland I
C. A. M. PAUADES, Pst, (). M. I.
f-^:pK»
y -. ,!;••.•
• r
IISTDEX:.
-1-. -
Paoks
Al>ittil)i (KrcMn !,(» Tcinisk.uiiiiii;) 57
" (l^'tk.') \ r,7
Alhfiiii (lliv«M) 30
Albany (Port— Climate and Aj^'rioulture) 'M)
" (From to Moo.s«»-Fac-toi'v) -JO
" (Th.« Mission of) ' 33
Altitudes (Latitudt^s and) ")")
CMay-Falls (From to New-Post) 40
Climato g
" (/(Mnpared 13
" (rntluenc)'* of the fon^st on) 7
Dedieation jjj
l>etail<Ml RfH-iew of the different zones between
Al))any and Lake T<Mniskan)in<,' 21
Fn^leric lliver 51
UaniH ;5 -
Tro(Hiois (The fall of the) 53
James Hay (Extent and depth) * 22
" (Few metereolo<i;ieal observations). . 15
" (Its inhabitants) 24-
" (Its influence on the clitnate) 24
" (Its navigation) 28
" (Its part played on the 'formation of
lands) 25
" (Naturi; of its waters) 2.'i
Junction (From the to Clay- Falls) 43
Kodjidji (The) " ' 54
Latitudes and Altitudes 55
— 70 -
Land (Ooufigurution of tho) , '2
Lands (The height of) 59
Long-Portage (The) 40
Maringouinifuge (The) . 20
Moose-Factory '^^"^
" (Climate of Compared) 1'^
" (From to tlie Junction) ....... 41
Navigati<jn (C)pening of the) 16
Natural rieluiess 18
New-Post 48
" (From to lake Abittihi) 48
Pi-airies (The) 35
Quinze (The Lake of the) 60
(The Ilai>ids of the) 02
Remarks 17-21
Soil * \
" (Nature of the) . . , 4
Temiskaming (The Region of the) . . 03
Temperature (Influence of the clearing of lands
on the) 10
Zon.> (First) 29
" (Second) 38
" (Third) 48
" (Fourth) ". 57
"(U(®^s;^^^^))n>'