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ft 
 
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 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>'