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Les diagrammes suivants illustrant la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ] B£ REPORT EXPLORATION OF THK COUNTRY ^alic J^Mpniot mA the §d |liicv Settlement, BETWEEN THE LATTER PLACE AND THE AS81NIB0INE AND SASKATCHEWAN. BY S. J. DAWSON, ESQUIRE, C. E. JJriuUb bn (Orbcv of tl)c Ccgielnliae '^soeinbln. TORONTO : JOHN;lOVELL, printer, corner of YONGE and M eh NBA STREETS. 1859. 3266./ ■foi. \ RETURN To AN Addukhh from the Legislative Asst'nil)ly to His Kxc('ll«'ncy tlio Govonior Gem ral, dated tlie 2'M\\ ult., pniyiii},' His Kxcellency to ciiuse to be laid before tlie Jlousu " copies of the Itejauts and IMiins (sul)se(iueiit to tliose already laid before the "Jlouse) of the Exploration of the country west of liake Superior, conducted by 8. "J. Dawson, Es(|., ('. E., and party, durinj; the hist two years." By Conmiand, C. ALLEYN, Secietary. Secretary's OfHi'e, Toronto, IGtli March, 1859. R E P O R T S Red River Settlement, 4lli July, 1858. Sir, — I bejr ienve to nckiiowliMlgc ihc receipt ot' your letters of the Ifith niul 20111 Aj)ril, coiitaiuiiij; inslruetioiis tor the jtuid- ance of tlie I'^xpcdiliou duriiif; the present season. These insirne- tious it will l)i; our endeavour to carry out to the salistketion of the Governiuout. V have now the honor to inllirui you, that as soon as the exploratory surveys, in profjress at the date of my last report, were completed, I set ou! on llie excuisiou I had proposed hy way of the Mnnitoulm and Wiunipefioos Lakes to the .Saskatchewan River, and returned by the Assinihoinc, reachinf; llii.s place on the 2'.»th ult. On niv arrival I found the men hrouf;ht here hy I'rofe isor Hind waitini; for me, — the Professor himself haviiii; i;one west lo the Suuris Kiver, and in order that as Utile time as possilile iiii;;lu be lost, I iunnediately dispatched two of my assistants with eleven men and two canoes to commence the work iiiilieated in yoin- insiruclious, ri'tainiii}? one canoe lUid five men until such tiire H9 I could collect provisions eiiongh to |)rev(iil the necessity of scndini; immediately to Lake .Superior, where I'rolessor Hind had left the supplies, hrinjiins; here only enough for his osvu party. We have nowohtaincd a suHieiiMit snp])ly atid are about to set out. As the time nt my disptwal will not admit of my rrportiiif; so fully as I could wish on the varioiLS surveys which have l)een accomplished since the date of my hist report, 1 shall for the present confine myself to a brief aecmml of our last e.ipedition, mid a description of the extensive rej;ion through which we travelled. On the 10th of May, having provided ourselves with such supplies as the settlement could afford, we crossed over to Manituulm Laiir. There we embarked in canoes, and had a very tedious passaftc afjaiiist stroiii.: head winds lo the uorlliwest end of Winnipcgoos Lake ; from whence we crossed by tin Mossy Portage to Lao Bourbon. I Leaving! my assistants to measure the distance and ascertain I the ditVerencc of level between the lakes just named, I de.siciided ' the Saskatchewan lo the (irand Rajiid and ex.atnined il. Uctnrn- iiii: a^ain li> the Mossv l'oitai;e 1 divided the party — .sciulini; my VAuri' Assistant, Mr.' Wellsj back by the western const of Win- nip.>fri«>s Lake, Lac Danphiii and "the little Saskatchewan, as \ detailed in b'sreport whicht I send herewith, while with lhe which I would respectfully I refer von. .\ raiiifc of hiL'h lands, it will be seen, extends south-eastward from thc'~Pas(piia Mountain on the Saskatchewan, in latitude ; ,'5.^1" ;!0 iNnrth, to the Uniud Stales Ixiundary line. This range has in all probability, at some period, formed' the sonlli-western embaiikmciil of a s^rc.il inland sea, which coveri'd the valley of lied Kiver, ami comprised within its mass Lakes Wiiiiiipen, ' Winnipeiroos, Manitouba and the nnmenais sniiilU r lakes ulncli are spread over the frreal alluvial Hat in which tluy lie. The i counlrv, bounded ou one side b- this ransic, and on llic other ', bv Lake Wiimipci:, and the Inch lands lo the eastward of Red ! Kiver is an almost unbroken level, slopinj; very slifrhily to the ! Red Kiver and Lake Wiiniipeii. I Part of this extensive tract is open )irairic land, but b^- tar the I firealer portion is .Icnscly wooded. A line drawn north 75^ west I from the coidluence ot "Rc.I River with Lake Winnipc!,' to Lac |)au|ihiii would pass thronjih about an eipial extent of wood land and prairie. From ihciice northward, a forest bnl r:u( ly broken by prairie openiniis extends t.> the Saskatchewan. To the south tl'ie couutrv lieconies more open, until, on neariniJ: the Assini- boiiie, thewoods ciiirclv disappear, and an apparently bonndloss • 'I'll.' Bkotoli above refsfrfil to i» cinbrno.'>l in tlio geuer.il iim|. now being putiliAhed. priiiric sprondu out on cvcrv siilc. The sircanis, howovor, arc all liordiTcd iiioic or less villi wood; i\ licavv j^rowili of oak, rliii, liHssHocd, &<'., t'XInids in iiiiiii^' pLu-ca liir a mile or two IVoiii ihr liHiiks ot'llic AMiiiil)oiiir. I'rocoi'diiin hy iIk' road Ihun llir Hcil llivrr to Mikiiitoiil)a Lake, the (•(luiilry tor llic lirst twt'lvc iiiilcs or so prcsriils llio appcaraiu'O of" an nnliroki'ii li'Vi I wiili ciuinps of irccn rising,' licrc and tlicrc like islands in an ullicrwisc hoinidlcss ocean, {''nrtlicr on, tlic wood hoconii'S more fre(|nrnl, and sometimes llio prospect seems honnded l>y forests ; on iijiproaehini,' these, however, otiier prairies open up, and other woods ap|«iir, and in this way wooildand m\d prairie alternate ail the way to IManitonlia Lake ; ullliou^li the ^roinid seems level it is not precisely so, hut siifjiilly rolling or undnlaliiifi. The elevaliiais are of every width, from half a mile upwards, and run in a direeliiai from north-west to south-east ; hetween lliein in most places the (ground is more or less marshy and covered with low linshes and willows, or presenting ponds prowinj; hulruslies anil rank grass. The road is, however, suflici- enlly dry to he travellelion will n]i|i|y throughout. I!y the action of the water, or ice, or liotli comhiiicd, a hiuh heach of shinj,'le has been thrown up, consisting of water-worn fragments of lime- stone mixed with occasional boulders of granite. On the top of this ridge there is ifenei.'dly a dense growth of wood, while, between it and the ni.iin land, an open marsh, varying in width from half a nnie to two miles, extends along the" whole coast, broken only by occasional points of higher land, which run down to liie Lake. When wc ,iasseil, the marsh was covered with withered liulrnslies and long grass, which, allhoiiuh of last year's growth, still evinced tlic rankness of ihc vegetation pecu- liar to this regior,. The stems of some of the liulrushes on being mc!isured were fcnnd to he an inch and three ears on the surface, in others a thin coaling of vegetable mould over it, scarcely supports a stunted growth ol cypress, spruce ami aspen. .Some ef the islands liowever, anil there are nianv of them, appear to be fertile cspeciallv at a little rapid Just above Cross Lake. There the wood 18 of a large growth, and, .ilthough it w;ls .so early in the season (the 3()lb ol May) when we [lassed that ice was still visible on the shores (,f Lac Hourbon, the foliage al these Islands was almost lully developed. The Grand Rapid is about three miles in length, varying in width from I SOO feet at the head to about J of a mile at the lower end. On the south side a perpendicular cliff ol limestone rock rises abruptly from the water's edge and extends along the whole rafiid. On Ihe north side the hanks rise preoipilously, but |)resent a face of rock only in certain places. For tlie lirst mile or HO the water, confined in a channel so narrow Ibr a river of such volume, rushes down with great impetuosity. The current then gradually moderates, and two miles farther on the Saskatch- evvan is lost in Lake AVinidpeg. The total descent at the Grand Rapid may be safely estimated at upwards of CO feel. Canoes and bntleaUK can easily bo run down, and even towed up a part of the way. But, of course, in its pr'isent slate, lliifi rapid, with such a descent, must bo regarded as lbrmin^ an absolute breitk in llie navigation, thai in, ti> vesselsof a consid- erable size. Helween the Grand Rapid and Lac Mourl)(>n there are two little rapids which ])reseiit obstructions of a less serious nature, but wliiidi ecaild not yet be navigaled in iheir present slate l)y vessels of largo size. From liiic liourbon upwards, the niivi. gallon of the Saskatciiewan is unimpeded lor a long distnnee. I III till' till of .lunc, having examined the (irand Rapid and aseerlained the did'erence of lev(d between VVinnipegoos Lake and Lac liourbon, I divided the party, as already explained, and crossed over to Swan River. The country bordering on the western extremity of Winnipe- goos Lake is, in general, of a fair elevation, and the land »|ipeiirs to be remarkably fertile ; between Red Deer River and Swan River a level country extends to the baseol the Porcupine Hills. It is well wooded, and upon the whole 1 should think this iract well adapted lor settlement. .Mineral springs occur in various places near the mouth of .Swan River. One of Ihese We visited, and found .some people engaged in the manufacture of salt. .\t this place, in a bare flat of about 20 acres in extent, but slightly elevated above the level of the Lake, numerous springs bubble up, all of them emitting more or less gas. Some are exceedingly briny, while others taste exactly like the St, Leon water of lypwer Canada, and on being drunk prinluce the same e fleet. From Winiiipegoos Lake to Swan Lake the distance is about six miles. The stream whicli connects them, iiero appropriately enough called Sho.il River, varies in width from l.'iOtoJOO feel. It is shallow and has a very swift course. About Swan Lake the country is highly interesting. Num- erous islands appear in the Lake : to the north an appar(Uilly level and well wooded country extends to tlie base of the Por- cupine Range, while to the south the blue outline of the Duck Mountain is seen on tlie verge o( the horizon. Ascending from Swan Lake for two miles or so the banks of Swan River are rather low. in the succeeding ten miles they gradually become higher, until they attain a bight of nearly 100 leet above the river. The current is here remarkably swilt, and the channel much embarrassed by round bouljers of granite mixed with fragments ol limestone, which latter is the rock proper to tlie country, allhough it does not crop out .so far as we could see on any part of Swan River. Land-slips occur in many places where Ihe banks are high, ex|)osing an alluvial soil of great ileplh resting on drift clay or shale, of a slightly bituminous apjiearance. About 30 miles above Swan Lake the prairie region fairly commeaotrs. There the river winds about in a lino valley, the b.inks of which rise to the height of 80 or 100 feet, lieyoiid these an apparently unbroken level extends on one side for a distance of 15 or 20 miles to the Porcupine Hills, and for an e(|ual distance on the oilier, to the high table-laml culled the Duck Mountain. From this south- westward to Thunder Moun- tain the country is the finest I have ever seen in a state of nature. The prospect is bounded by the blue outline of the hills just named, while, in the plain, alternate wood and prairie present an appearance more pleasing than if either entirely prevaileil. On the lOlh of June, the time at which we passed, the trees were in full foliage, and the prairie openings presented a vast expanse of green sward. Un approaching Thunder Mountain, which seems to be a connecting link between the Porcupine range and the Duck Mountain, the country becomes more uneven. Some of the ridges on the shoulder of the Thunder Mountain even show .sand, but there are wide valleys between them. On leaving Swan River to cross to Fort Pelly the land rises rapidly to a plateau elevated about 250 feet above the level of the stream. The road then follows for .some distance a tributary of Swan River, which runs in a beautiful valley, with alternate slopes of wood land and prairie. Numbers of horses were (juielly feeding on the rich pasture of this valley when we passed, anil what with the clumps of trees on the rising grounds, and the itrfBin winding atnonu K^ccn innidowN, it Mcmnd an if it wnntrd but tlii> prcsRncc ot liuinun liiihitntionM to Kivn It tlip ii|)- iwaruiicd (if II hi){lily riilliviitcd cnuntry. Tlic MiKlsiin'N liny Coriipitiiy kec|i ii «'"»fd licro li> liikr cnn- of tiKMUimiMDUH Iiiiiwh nttnclicd to tlii'iriii^tabliMliMU'iit of Fort I'l'lly, Arrived at Fort I'cily wc h|i«rit tlm (jri'iitor pnr' of a day, the lUtliof June, tiivn- t>i ri'tit our ciincxi and prcpiirt; f>l'rniiii In ohiirite of tho eNliihliNhnicnt, who kindly liirniMhed ux with IxirMes mid cartH to convey our ciinoeN and iirtl.Mi'n iicroNs (roiii Swan Hivor to tho ANoiniuuine, and was otlinrwise most attentive and otiligln){. l^iivinK Fort Peljy curly on the tnorninK of the 17th of June, we proceeded on our journey. For |8 miles or so downwaril (I'roin Fort Felly,) the Assinihoine i.n very narrow, crooked, and much bmliiirrasHcd hy nIiouIs iind rHpi;hts a view is obtained of a rollinff prairie, strclchinu away on either side of the Assini- boine as far as the eye can reach. It would seem as if ihe whole of this vast region were a sort of level plateau, and that the greater height of the banks at Fort Ellice indicated the descent which the river hail made in its course. With regaril to thc()uality of the soil ; on going inland a little we found it to be of an alluvial char.icter, dill'ering in no re.spect from the soil in the prairie lands at Red River. Tho smallest brook that Hows from the prairie has cut itself i; valley almost as deep as that of the As.sinii)oine itself; and from tho latter stream a tine view is often obtained of glens stretch- ing far inland, with winding b.niks, covered in some ca.ses with green herbage, and in others with forests which ascend to Ihe level of the jilain above. The course of the Assiniboine is remarkably cr(N>ked. Occa- sionally it crosses the valley as inucli as tlirei- limes in a direct distance of one mile. i'lie margin of the stream is in general wooded ; somelime.s ihe woods extend acros.s llie whole valley ; in other CB.se;i the green banks slope down tiom llie prairie level to the water's edge. Where the river runs close by some steep promontory, it occasionally happens thai hall the hiil has .slipped down, (lisclosing a face of yellow loam or drift clay, resting on crumbling slate or shale, which auain is curiously inleisMalilied with other substances as soft as itself, some ol which sliew ide presence ol iron ore. The iminedialo banks ol the river are of soft alluvial earth, and are constantly tumbling in. As might be supposed, the water is muddy, and yel it ie not unpleasant to the taste. Rt.'sides the While Mud River, two considerable tributaries join the Assiniboine from tho west, abovt^ Fort Ellice. These are the liroken-arm and the Qu'appelle Rivers. The latter stream drains a great extent ol alluvial prairie land ; and at the Touchwood Mills, near il.s sources, it is said that coal is to be found in abundance. From Fort Ellice to the Rapid River the country is much of the same character that I have described it as being above that place ; but on passing the Rapid River a change is percep- tible : the high banks of the valley disappear, and ihe prairie slopes more gently to the river. A little above the Souris River a still greater change occurs ; the alluvial banks giving place to sand-hills, which run in ridges from norih- west to south- east. Through these the river cuts its way in an extremely tortuous course, .sometimes running south-east, in a direction parallel to the ridges; then cutting across a ridge, and suddenly turning in an opposite course. These ridges, where the river has cut through them, exjxjse sand resting s Lakes is unijuestionably wtdl adapted for settlement. Experience already shews that wheat yiekis an abundant return on Manilouba, and at the Jitth' Saskatche- wan. At the latter place even Indiai; corn is said to be a sure crop. This lieiiig the case, it is reasonable to conclude that wheat would thrive also at Sanguissippi Lake, and at Lac Dau- phin, and along the western Coast of vViiinipi'goos Lake. Tho valley of .Swan River, in point of fertility of soil, is perhaps uiiHiirpassed in any country ; and, as regards clim'tte, it cannot, I think, be inferior to the valley of Red River, inasmuch as, if I'url her north, it is al.so inuch further west, and removed from the influence of the cold winds of Lake Winnipeg, which some- times have a prejudicial elfcci on tho crops at Red River. The country bordering on Red Deer River is said to be very fertile ; and the fact that maple is to bo found there in consid- erable (|uantities would confirm the belief that the climalo cannot be very unfavorable. Throughout this region wood is in sufli- cient abundance to ensure a supply of fuel for a long lime to come, or until such time as the coal mines may be developeth of from 3G to 50 feet. riie Sanguissippi River, which connects the Winnipegoos and the Manilouba Lukes, has a general de^jtli of from 6 to 8 feet, except at one place, near the middle ol its course, where there 13 a very swift run, with a depth scarcely amounting to 5 ft. Tho diMtnni^t! I'roin Wiiinipr(,'nofi l^akc to I,iio lioiirlxin, by tlin Mo!4My l't>rliiK<'< i" 1 niilivt and 1)4 cliiiin^, iind llii'diHi'ri'nri' of li'vrl I I'l'cl ', (III' \Villlii|H';^'cHi<< Ix'iii^ lliut iiiiU'li hi^liiT lliilll l,ni; Hoiirhon. 'I'lu- Siiskiilclicwnn \vn», liowcvcr, vi-rv low, at llie tiinr ol tiiir visit, nnd it ix |)rol>iil>l<>, lliiit wlirn it i« iit ilM usiml lii'ik;li< till- dilli'rcnt'i! of k'vid bolwccn tho two lakes JM hill very sli^■lll. From Liic ilotirlion upwards for lOO miles, the SnHkiilciii'. Willi prt'sciits III) iiiiliroUcn reach of niivij{al)le wi.ii'r. Above Iliiit, 'lecoiiiils ililii'r IIS lo whelhi-r it ih iiiivik;iible or not, some asserli'ii^' ihal it is loo iniieh embarrassed by nijiids and shoals, and others ihal it liiiuhl be navii^iibh- for boats of lii;lit draiiuhl and ^ri'ai power lo llie base of ilir Koi^ky Moiniliiins. Kroiii what I have harneil, I incline to the Inticr opinion, but llic triilh can only be ascertained by exaiiiinalioii. At all cvenl-i, from the Ui'd Itiver Si'ttleincnl lo Oarllon House, followini; Lake Uinnipci,', ihe Lilllc Saskalchi'Wan, Lakes \Vinnepci;i)os and Miiniuaiba, l.ac liiairlmn and the (ireal S:iskalchewan River, there is a iiavi(^able reacli of HOC) iiiihs, lirokeii only liy the Mossy l'orlai;e. This one carryinj;; plane cannol be reckoned II ^reat iinpediiiicnl in such a distance ; sleaiiicrs iiii^hl be plaeed on Ihe w.iters (ai eillicr si,'e ; above that, indeed, canoes can be loweil up, 'ind bal- leaiix can dcsci'iid, except at cxtri'iiic low water, bill il has a very lorliioiis and rapid course, more especially amoni^ tin' sand hills, iiinl il is in many places shallow, so ihal il coiiM only be made naviijalilc tor vessels of any size at a great oul- I ly. Kvrrylhint,' considered, ihcrefoie, lam of opinion thai transport could he more easily I'fiecled by land. The ccaintry \h adiniiably adapled |,iupljiii nnd u pirl ol Wiiinipegtxis Lake approach wilhiii *() or 7,') miles ol the .Assiniboine, These places beiiii; acccssibli' lo steamers, land roails mi:;hl In' made across the couiilrv, which would ;dli>rd all Ihe accoirimolalion ri'ipiired by a sciile- iiienl in its lir-l nlii^e ; inon's Hay Company supply Ihcir eslablisliinenl at Fort I'elly by way of these l.ikcs an I Swan Hiver, cartiiiL.' their i^oihIs Irom ihc latter place across the coun- try lo the Assiniboine. In spcakini,' of iiavii;al)le lines thai mii,dit be made avnilablc, I should mention that at Ihe IJnind Poriage, there is said lo he an old water-course, by which the Assiniboine In all probabil- ily has at some period diseharf^eil its waters into the Manilouba Lake. .Now, as Ihe Assiniboine is iiavii;able, or in a slate that il might easily be made so, ms far as the (Irand i'orlagc, it may yel be haiiid advaiilageou.s to op<'n a water commiinicalion between it ami the Maniloiiha Lake. The advanl!ii.'es which this route would possess over Ihal by L.ike Wir.nipei,' and the Little Saskatehewaii, are, Ihal il wiaild he considerably shorter, and would be open somewhal curlier in Ihe Spring. In considering t! c project of colonizing u country so remole as this, and of which so little is, as yet, generally known, the (|uestion will naliirully arise as to whether the native pupula- ticin wou'd ijc likely to oiler any opposition lo selllemeiit, or wLcther the country, if occupied, would be easily governed. Heiieving that an\ information which will enabh? the (Jovcrn- mciil to judge of these important matters will be aeceplabic, I shall, hefiiri- concluding, describe the present slate of llie country through which we passed, contining myself to what ha.s come under my own observation. Ai Manitonha, Lne I)nnpliin, ami " I'artridg* Crop," tliert* are small sclileim-nlN of Indians and |M-opln of mixed origin. M the first and last named ^etllemellls, the people an* ratlinr induslrioim, ami raise wheal, Indian corn, and a variety of articles. At Lac l)nnpliinllie seltlern simply grow potatoes nnd Indian corn. Tliey are griuliiidly ai'ipiiring habits of indiislry, but they can live so eainilMiiiie, we saw not a living being, except the few people in charge of the Ilndsou's Hay Company'.s esliiblisbmcnln of Foil I'elly and Fort l''.lliee, until we got lo the selllemuntit in lliis neigliborliood, At Fori Fllice we were told that the hiinlcrs were gone fnither west ; but from nil we could see or learn, llicre was no avoiding the conclusion that the population which once wandered over the vast plains of the Assiniboine had decreased to an unexampled extent. This 1 attribute partly to the indiscriminate slaughter of the Hnilalo to supply Ihe pemican reipiired for ihc tr.ide of the country, llie inlred lo be obtained al Fort Pelly and Fori F.iliec, hut these eslabli.,menls can furnis!' little now. Al innny places we observed the plains furrowed with old Hacks of the biilliilo, and in siiine (^ases the bank.s of the .\»sinil,oini' were sirewii willi iheir bones, but ihere were noiii' ol these animals, we were informed, to he seen williin several days' .i llivrr l>:ili|iliili, ,111(1 llir Liiko of lliiil iiiiiiii', llir l.illli'.SiN lin'clirwiin, iiml llif Soiillicrn purl of |,iil,i' \Viiini|irj,', and would bog le'ivo to niilxiiit tlir following; r<'|Kirl of my o|M-rit- lioiM : Till! wi'HiMrii nliorc of Liiki- U'iiiiii()eKooM, in coiiiiiioii willi till! iillinr l.iiki'N lliroiif;li wliirli I piin-'cil, i-< niiuli liriiiT ii)lii|iii'il for M'llifiiii'iil tliiin \\w I'ltNtiTii oiii% iiiiciiHirli iiM till' liiiiil 1^1 lii^licr, iiiiil till- rliinatc, if any lliiiiu, a lilllc lu'llcr. In rro^^inu l.akc \Vinni|)<';;ooH from ra»l lo wi-mi, a ili-lr, fhii, oak anJ poplar, covers llir I'olinlry lo liii' walrr's cdj^i'. I visilrd Huveral placirn where suKnr had lieeii niaile, and saw specimens of that aiticlu V(|uul lo any thul I hiivu nver seen in Kasicin Cunnda. The I)n(d< Mountain, whieh oeeupies alaiosi llie entire bnek^roiiiid, luiininences to rise not far Iroiu the Lake shore, keeping' a fjeulle asetnl for 15 or JO miles hack, where ii allains Its fi;rt!alf;,'s nv iheiii that all kinds of gr.un succeed well, yet thi-y cultivate only a fuw |>otatocs, ns fish and ^nnie ure so plentiful and of such good ((uality, that they may \tv stiid to live almost withoiil exertion. From the salt springs I passed through the Dauphin Kivcr, almost IG miles, to Dauphin Lake. The Dauphin Kiver is a fine stream about '10 yards broad, and having 5 feet of water in Iho shallowest places, lis banks are of ti strong grey clay, covered with black mould, and limlx'red with oak, elm and poplar. It has two considerable tributaries rising in ihe Duck and Hiding Mountains, which appear to drain m (Minntry well adapted for settlement. There are several places on the Dau- phin lliver where the Indians ^row potatoes, Indian corn and melons. The wild grape, wild hop and wild vetch, are also common on the banks of the river. Lac Dauphin is about 30 miles long Iroiu norlli-w(!sl lo south-east, and six miles broad. Its western shore is bounded by the Hiding Mountain, similar in ail respects to the Dnck Mountain already mentioned. Its southern shore is bounded by a prairit^ interspersed with wooded knolls, which I was in- formed extended without inli^rruption south-east to the Assini- boino and Red Rivers. I saw fixed rock only in two places in this part of the country, namely, at Snako island, near the lower end of Lake Winnipegoos, and at the lower part of the Dauphin Kiver. That on the Snake Island, a whitish limestone, is full of organic remains; the other is similar to the Manilouba lime- stone and nearly without organic remains From Lac Dauphin I returned by the north-east end of Lake Mamitouba and its discharge, the Little Saskatchewan River. The Little Saskatchewan, as its name implies, has a very strong current, which I found, on measuring to lie J J and ;l miles per hour, biil it is erUiivli/ free from rapiils. Its average breadth is iJ60 yards, with from S to 12 feet of water, ll ap- pears well adapted for Bteamboat navigation. The eiMinlry in the vicinily of the !,illle ,Saskal(diewan pre. sents every inihiei nienl for Nelllciiieiil, as is proved by the llour- ishiiig slate ot the present selllciin'iu at Kairliird, or, ax it is more generally enlled, " I'artridge Crop," — a mission establish- ed under the llishop of Rupert's Lnncj, nboiit six years ago. by the Rev. Mr. Cowley, The present e>iablishm('nt is some nix miles higher up the river than the lirst one, wliicl;, being siiIm'cI lo iniiliibilion in limes of hii;h water, was aKandoiied, ' ere arc several wi 11 I. mil lioiise„, a chapel, m hool and mill ii lliis place, with a po|iiil:ilioti ijf alioiil JIIO sonU, liiJians and hall-breeds. riic Rev. .Mr, Slag, the misHJoiiary now in charge, inlornii'd inc that the silmol w liieh is atlaelied to the misiiim was usually aticnded by from >')(> to lio children, half of whom are Indian children ; indeed, the Indians beloiiginu lo this place appear III be fast acipiirinu the tastes and habits ol eivilix:ition, beini; more elciiii iiiid betler dressed than any I liave seen in the coiinlry. Mr. Slaualso inlormcil me that, not wilhstandini; llie case with which the ground was cultivnlcd, and the I irxe re- turn-' of grain, he rei{uircil to us ' all his iiillucner lo inilnce llie Iniliiiii^ to cultivate the hind, as their wants are so easily sup- plied by lisliin;; and hunling. h'roiii the Little iSjiskali'hewan I lelnriiil lhroiii;li l.iake Winnipi'L', arriving at this plat n ihi' 'Jtiili of ,luiic. The joiirnev through Lake Winnipei,' presented no lealure of essential dillercnce Iraa the olliei lakes, except llial the wcsiern shore is low, with occasioniil limestone elill's, ami the easlern shore high, with granite roek. 1 am, Sir, \ our obedient servant, A. VV. WKLLS. S. J. Dawson, l''s(|., Red River Scllleinent. FoHT William, Lakk Superior, 2 1st August, I85«. SiK, — In my report of the llli iillimo IroMi Ked River, I had llie satislacliun to ackuowieilu'c the rci^cipt ot your letters of the lliili and :.!Olhot April, sini'e which time I am without any furl her cumiiinnicalion from the (lovernmenl. I have now the honor to inform yoii that "lie |iarl> under my directions are at present actively oecii|iieii in ih.' exploriillon of the idimlry between Rainy Lake ami Lake Supci-ior ; one of my assistants, well appointed with men ami snpp!|. s. beint; at Lac lies Mille Laes, and another, eipially well |rovided, at D.g Lake. I'lir my own part, since reachini; this place, I have been occupied ill sending liic necessary supplies In the ilitrereni points where they will be reipiired, and havinu' accomplished this, I am now about to set out (or Lac iles .Mille Lacs. Ill regard lo the progress w hieli has been iiialii'N lit II iitiiill lllr-lrIlllin^' i'NiHl>li<s\ ii lit-rc, wlifll I III iiMcr di'N|iiiU'lir(l lliriii In |liiK l.ilki*. Tlicy will How III- I'liiployi'd in riiiiiiinK Iiim'h and iimkini; triivi'rM"< hclwrcn till' KirnlniHtiU|iilii, 'riiiiiidi'r Hiiv, nnd l)o^ l.iikr, mt nrt lonMcrr- liiiii till' roiiii' imknI |Miii'tii'iililr Tor a roiid 'I'lii'V will iiUo ex- luiiiiic tliii t'oniitry hctwi'i'ii I'nliiti' di- Mi'iinui iiiul (tiiiifliiit Lake. Kroiii wliiit I liavi' iiniil il will lir Ncrn ilial our Niirvryu, no fur an llii-y liavc pine Hiiicc wo Icll Itcd Uivir, cliiilili' iiir only to npi'ak of till' land aviiiliililc tor ni'ttlcint'iit in llic Kiiiny llivrr I'oiin'ry, nnd of llir rfj-iH'ctivc incrilH of tin- canoe loiilpit liy llir Kaiiiini''iii<|iiiii nnd I'lucon Kivi'r. Willi rc^nrd to the formi-r of ihi'ni- wiiliicctH, tlir hind iiniin'- dintcjy lionlLTiiiK on Kainy Klvrr, on tlii' llritJKli Hide, iit ol an alluvial dincriiilinii, and alinoNt aH iiiiiliimily level as the |irairies III Ked Uiver. Tor a mile or no inland froin the main xlream the ground in drv, and a dense growth of lari;e timher, eoiiHiHting of |Mi|)lar, elm, oiik, ImxiWood and oeeasi'inal white piiieB indi- enteH n prodiu'tive hoH. For a mile or two iieyond ihi-, however, HWnnipv ground predoiniiiute!i, while Iieyond ihiil again the hind griidiiaily risen to u range of hills of no great eminence, which, im fur as we could oliserve, Heniied to run parallel to ihn river, at a distance of from four lo eight miles hack. The distance from Hniny l.akc to ihc Lake of the Woodn, following the windings of till' xtrcam, is aliout eighty nilJcH, nnd ihroiigliout the whole of this extent the land fronting on the the river is lit for iiettlement, without I may say u single hreak ; iiuleed, I have never .seen any thing lo eipial il iii niv exiierieiice, execpl at Swan Itiver, and on the Assinihoine. Farther inland, alllioiigh the ground be- coinrn in many places swampy and hroken, there must he ii fair proportion also fit for settlement, hut to iiscertain anytliing like the preeioc area that is ho, woiilil rccpiire n c'iO,ser exaininalion than we have at' yet been able to bextow. Passing Irom liaiiiy River to the l.nkeof the Wooacs The highest water level on the Grand Portage route is at an elevation of no less than 1053 feet above Lake Superior, while around the Lakes ut this great altitude the mountains lower up to the licight of at least Kve hundred feet. 'I'he highest water level on the Kaministaqiiia route is that of the llllle pond nt the west end of the Prnlrlo Portage, which is M'.t;! feel above Lake Superior, wliil« at Ihiit elevation on this route the country is coinpnriilively level. The number of portages on ilieOrand Portage miitp, bclwefii Lake Su|K'rior and Lake .\eipiiii|on, is ,'M. and their aggregntii length L^ miles nnd hi chainN. On the KnministiKpiiii route between the same jKiints, the niimberol portages is bill W, and their uggn'gnto length only 10 miles and 17 chains. The I irand Poriage route has, moreover, the disndvnnlnge of toiichini; on the head waters of four dillerenl rivers, viz.. Pigeon River, Arrow River, Sageinagii River, which discharges its waters into the Ipiier Slnrgeon Luke, and the stream wliiidi (lows from White Wood Lake to Lake Neipi.iipion. Kor DO miles belween Fowl Portage ami While WihmI Lake, the route lii's along the heinl wiilers of these rivers, and in tliiil distance the streams between the lakes are so shallow and small as lo be scarcely navigable for birch e:ino"s, so thai, in the event of a more perleil water < oiiimunicnti'in becoming neeessiiry, llni ineiins of supplying il could not be liHiked for in a region hu elevated. That ns a rntiiH> route the KiimiiilMinipiin and Mille Lacs way is the best is pretty conclusively proved by the fact, that it is the one which was eventually ndopled by the Norlh-wesI t'orn- pany, nnd always followed by the ||n belter prepared to report on this subject when the surveys now in progress are completed. With respect to the carrying on of the sur/cys, they will, I am conlident, lulvance rapidly under the present iirrango- menl». There is, however, a wide extent of country to examine i nnd when the most adviintagecus route is discov. ered, instead of mere ciimory surveys such as we have hitherto been making, the measurements and levels will have to be taken Willi Kreiit precaution, so that estimiitcHcaii b>' l<>uniled on tliuin allerwards. I think, iherefoie, that lo complete the whole pro- perly, the surveys should be continued during the winter ; and, il the (iovernment should decide on doing so, a great Having will be ell'ei-ted in sending supplies by canoe to certain points along the route before the close of the navigation, so that the surveying parties may continue unir.terruptedly at work. I therefore leiid down the bearer, Mr. I'harles do Salaberry, who will bring u|> such supplies ns will be reijuired ; that is, in the event nf the ( Iovernment deciding to continue the surveys during the winter. Kelore concluding this report, I should mention that our operations excite the greatest interest among the Indians, espe- cially at Fort FrBiices and the Lake of the Woods, where they are very numerous. On coining up I found the principal chiefs wailing tiir ine at various places ; but the most important Inter- view I had with them was at Fort France.s. The chiefs at that place guide and rule, more or less, the whole Saultenux tribe ; and feeling the im.iortance of keening <•,, good terms with them, I went to a IJrand Council lo which they invited me on the moment of my arrival. After their preliminary cert^moniea had been gone through with, the principal chief delivered a long liaranKue, wiih which I need not trouble you further than to say, that the point he aimed at was to ascertain what object the Ciovprnment had in view in causing the country to be explored. I replied that I could not say what course might be ultimately adopted by the Government ; that they need not fear, however, but that their interests would be consulted ; and that we werf merely examining the country, to our doing which we tru.sted they would offer no oppjsition. I then made them some pre.sents which I had taken with mc lor the purpose, and said I would wait ■ Hil the next day to hear what further they had to say. On the following morning they called on me, and said they would not put me to the trouble of attending another council ; that they had consulted among themselves, and come to the con- clusion to allow us, in tho meantime, to explore the country as we pleased ; but that they trusted ni tiers would be sent in without their being consulted ; and con led by requesting me to inform the Great Chief of the Canadians that they and their people would assemble at Fort Frances eai'ly in Juno next year, \^ll)■n, if lio wiiiilil ni'IkI h pirfuni cluly iiiillMiri'h OlliiiT in ('ll.'lr^l' ill Kurt Friincci, kin lly acini iii ii'lcrprrl'T, mil hi' inl .riiiri. iin' llml, iititiiit trii iliiy'* |irrviiiiii In our iii riviil, im Ii'hh lliiiii livi liiiiilrcd Inilianit had lirni wiiitiiit( fur iiii' ; bill llial lliry liiiil hi'iii ciiiii- jicllril to iliijUTS' on mi'iiiinl of ihn (.riinily ul proviHioiM. Wiirn wi' nrriv"il I only "iiw tin' cliii Ih, iiml iili mt Iwriiiy olln rx. 'I'll*' lii'iinr, Mr. ih' Siihilirrry, hiix lirni vrry mliM', iiinl ol gri'iti iiN'ii..t:inr(' to Mil', i>H|M'<'iiilly in |im-.|iiii^ on llir niiii wliin en route with llir ciinoi"< ; niul I ih' ii'lorr rrLiiiiiinund him wiili much pluuiuru tuyonr liivoralili.' noln'c, I iiuvu tile honor to lie, Sir, Your mo»t obpelii'nt ncrvmit, S. J. DAWSON, C E. To the Hnfioralilc Provincial Sccri'tury, Toronto, (/'. W. Font William, \.\kf, SuprnioR, !>3id .S,-|iii iiibi'r, 1838. Sin,- r liiivr Ihn honor to inform you thui for tlir |n'4 cxciir- binn I liiivi- (inly junI rcliiriird ; iiiid us ihr iiniil Ijoiii ih linnily ex|ifcl<'il, llii-ri' is liarrly liiiii' to mliT inlo ii \vi\ niinul('(hst'ri|)- lion of ihi' couniry, or |iri'|).iri' ii m:i|i, iilioui wIm-Ii a d'luiii'd Bluli'imni would not lii' Milli 'ii'iiiiy init'lli^iliji'. | >,luill tlnri'- fort" lor llii' |iifsiiil coiifini' iiiyMll l.i a very lirirf ncronnl of our riH't'iit o|).raiiuns, and tin' lulvanl.itjc's uhii.li ihc Kivrr Seine priHenlv us a line of (■i.;'imiiiii(Miion, VVIii'ie lliai sill am issiiis fnuii l.ae iles Mill.- Lai's il is a fine river, over a liumlred li et in wlillli. For u ,■ misldi rai le part of iis course il wiuits uboul, with i >,'ineral westward d lee- tion, ilirough a Hal, tliiiUly wooded willi iy|iress trees mid poplar of a larne size; while heyund iliis, on eillier siile, low hills swell up gradually, covered f r the iii 'sl |iarl Willi ;i ilen«c growth of pii|iiiir, inler-pers. d here and llieie wit i lal: pini'8, whii 11 rise singly or in (•roves above the siirroiindini^ loresi. At limes till- valley eoiiiiuels, and where ii dues so llie river presents easeades past which a porlaj,'e has lo be mnih', orliti e rnpiils V liieli can be run willi a can n' ; but bil ween iLese lliere is generally a considerable extent ol iiaviuable water. Tiiis deseri|ilion will apply lo the eoiinlry fi. abuui firlv miles be|..w Lac des Mille l/iies. The lower pari of the vallev pnsenls a guccession of lakes, varyini,' from a mde lo lifieen miles in length, iiiiiil near Itainy Lake, into which lb.' "-ive-, much in- creased in volume, di>chaiHes iiself in a s. < of casciides, milking' II plunije of over IIJ feel in the di»tai ■" of (ive miles and a Imll. The lakes just relerrc.l In nr" I ound d, lor the most part, by low hills, generally wooded, bin in some cases rocky, with an occasional valley bet ween ihi'iii prescutiiii; a less barren iip|iearaiice. The rock ihrciuj^hniit is, I may May, entirely of the primitive formation, — that is, uliere we li id an ii|ip irlunily ol' obsei viiii; it. In one of the lakes an isl.iud risi'- like ihi pe.ik of a hall gubmcrged inounli.in, exiiibiliiii,' a deser.plion of rock mmuc- what ditli'ient from that of the surrouuiimi,' eoiiutiy ; iind Iiv-tc we found s e specimens indicaling the |,resenee nf cop|iir. Viewed in its general aspect, the valley of the Seine is far less rugeed in iis clnuacler ilian I he ronnlry bordering on cither of the other two routes wliieli have us yet been followed lo Rainy Lake. On the borders ')l the lakes of which I hive just spoken, il is certainly soiiiewliai rough, but not .so inueli mi, by any nie8!:», as lo be impracticable for roads ; and, should it ever be determined on lo construct u railway fruin Lake Superior to Itiiiny [.like, from what I have as yet a-eerlnined of ihd gneriil teaiuren ol die eoiintry, I am cuiivinccd lliul it inuil p.iHs ih'oiigh llie va ley of llie Seiiif, Uegaided lis a nuvignble route, ihi* river i* lunoi'plib'ii of being mikilv far guporior lo cither of the other lincg ni prcgent UKI'll, The main nlijei lion to ihi'ie liiiti r in ilnit tiny follow no eonliiiiioiis rivir Hvslem but piiKs over ilividi' g riilKcs from ihe wiilers of one slri am lo those of iinoiln r, iiiiil eoii'i ipiently, however nineli improved, can only nliord al best a broken sort of eoniniiiii I ■ilion. The Seine, on the eontriry, willi the Millo Lhcs from w hence il issues, mid ilie Sav.inne Uiver, its iribiiliiry, preM'nIs great facilities for making the water euinmiiiiiealioil eoiiliiiiions, by meiiiiM iif lo<:k ami dam, Irom the Height of Lilid to Kaiiiy Lake, Keu'iirliiig it in the mraniiine, however, merely n» a canoe roiiie, il In bill very lilile inferior, (V n in its pr gent g'ale, lo eillp r of llie oilier louli s ; the i lily lormnlable b.ii rier lo eanne n.ivi','aliiin beinu the seiieg ot (alls which I have air' inly men- lioni'd as iieeurring in ihe imniedi ale vie nils of Kainy Lake. .\l low water lliese falls are passed by tweivo hlmrl po liigeg, but :il hiuli waier it would |ierlnips be nece'saiy to m ike a iinrla^'e of (ive miles iind ii half to avoid them. Ii is dollbllegg on aeeoiml of the obsineles wliii h oeciir al these lalls ilia*. ihis nvi r has noi been (nlloweil as ihe liinhway hir canoes, lor helween diem and Lac di s .Mille Lacs Ihi' carryii g places, alllioiigli iheri' III.' as many as (ifieeii of iliem. do ii t eipial ihH French I'lrlag- alone in llier ajureg ile lengdi. (In relereiiee lo llie liliiogiaplied m ipacioinp any iig the blue lioi k coniaining he n |iorl-. o( the diiri'ieiil meiiib rs ol die ex- peiilion, Il will be seen llial the disehaige ol Lm' ili s .Mille Laci is marked as "upp sed Li eiiii r a deep bay on Ihe ni rlh side o( Kniny Lake. VN c have n'c rtaiinil. however, lliai il does nil Ciller iliat bay. biil llie (irsi one to die easlwaul of it, Irom whence a r lu h ol iiavigdie water, which may | rnpi'ily be considered as an arm of Uainy Lake, exiilid-, on IliC iiiuginlie course Norili "O" Ka>l, fi.rlwenlv mih s Inrlher ihan till' map indienl's ; and inlo Ihi' head of ihis arm llie River Seine di charges nsell. Until we have had leisure lo prepare plans, li iwever, 1 net.! not reh'r farilier I > ihis ri\erthaii lo -ay tlial, at i very nioderale oiillay, it miijlil be made iin excellent roule foi Cannes, or boais such as Ihe Hudson's Hay ('ompany use. .'. ro.ul, say six miles in lengili, nnglil be iiiiide p.isi the impediment tear Rainy Lake, aid bv die cunsiriiclion of dams He porlnges abive lb It place m ghl be rcdiued lo une-lhird of iheir |.ri» lit linnib r ; and ibis ii is imporlanl locon-ilcr, wouM b.' a slcp lowards wirlis of ii more coiuprehen ave naiiire. Willi regard lo Ihe oiiiritmns bring carried on nt present, 1 dispatelied my principal Qssislatil, .Mr. Wells, from M lie Lacs, lo make a ( iirs ry survey of a inbiilary ol the Uiver Seine, wliirh lakes its rise a liitle lo the norlhwiird of ilie I'r.d'ie Portage, nnil-al'er a we>icrly course of over -iMy-five miles, wiihiiit a bre.ik, as he Indi nsri'piri, in tla- iiavig lion- joins ihe Kiver Seine, nboui Iwelve miles bi low lac des .MiUe Lacs; rom ihence he will desieiid lo Riiiiy Like, nsceed llie liiver OOIU iinilin in \>Ot Ul-rillll |l» l^lllljl IJil\^, (l^v.i.,1 III*. i».,vi .Malijtic lo die I'pjier!^ iirgeon Lake, and then iii.iki' a cur.-ory survey of the Sageinaga Uiver and Lake. Tlirsiu,ill pariy employed in this ipi iricr have already com- pleted iwo exploraloiy lines, one Irnin I'ointe de .Meiir ii, and one fnnii Current liivrr lo I tog Lake. The monnlain range bordering on Laki' Superiur is the main barrier lo a line o( road. The line jiisi run from Pointe dc Meurou is very i\)Ugli ; llial friiiii (,"urri nt River is bitter ; bin I am in liopes ol (i i.ling slill bclier ground belwcen llie boltoin of Tlinnder Bay and Ui)g Lake, and in order to uscerlai i this point, 1 have sent a parly to run an exploratory line through. When this work is comple ed, we fledl examine the count.y between the Kar.iin- islii|tia and Uuii Flint Lake. Ill my report of the Jlst uliinio, I had the liinor to suggest the expidieiicy of eslablisldng a party to continue the surveys during winter. To le more explicit, however, I woiil.l propose leaving one of my assintants and six men at Lac des Mille Lacs, 10 tomake a trigonometrical survey of the River Peine, the Savhane River, and Dog Kivcr and Lake, taking the iRvela throughout with the greatest precau'ion. Densely wooded as the entire region is, an instrumental survey can be much better accom- plished in winter, when fhc lakes and rivers are frozen over, than it can in summer, i would also leave one of my assistants in charge of the instruments and stores at this place, with in- structions to keep A meteorological register, and, when oppor- tunity offered, to prosecute still further the surveys between this and Dog Lake on the one hand, and Sageinaga Lake oi; the oiher. This arranged, I should go down late in the fall, with my principal assistant, Mr. Weds, to make up plans, ftc, of the exploratory surreys now accomplished, where we would have conveniencies for work of that kind, which cannot be obtained here, and return to this place in the month of March, or imme- diately on the opening of the navigation. The surveys now extend over four and a half degrees of htjtude, and about thirteen degrees of longitude, so that we have a considerable amount of work to put together. Mr. De £a!abeny, who look down my last dnpatchea, by some mischance lost a trip of the boat, i^ that he cannot now tsturn so soon as I had reason to anticipatt and, aa the season for canoe navigation is drawing to a close, I have In tne meantime sent some provisions to the Savanne River, and Mille Lacs, so that we mav be fully prepared, in the event of annreys being continued during winter. Should they not be so, the provisions will be in a convenient situati in for next spring's r'li('\vi' t( iho newly cxplori'il River Seine, an I the variais I ano" routes helwe.ii Lake .Snperior anil Itainy Lake, oil a a^nle ol' i miles lu 1 ineli. 3. A pi Ml. in profile, shewing the relative altitude and length of the routes liy Pigeon Uiver and the Kaminisliquia. 4. A map of a portion of nritisli North .\nieri(M, >hrwiii<,' the route whi.h it i< hilieved could lie mo^l easily made .-ivail- able llnoufih Canada and IJiilish Coliimhia. 5. .\ sketch sliewin;! the surveys aeeomplished hy Mr. J. F. Gaudel, at the Savaniie Kiver, &e., up to :.'Jrtl Ueeemher, ISjS. 6. .\ sketch >li wing the sun-eys tnale hy Mr. [,. A. Kussell. between Tliuiider Bay and Uog Lake, up Id IDih January last. On returning from the .Saskatchewan and Assiniboim", I bron_dil witli ine su( h speeimejis of fossils, shale, eoal,&e., as I th'iui;lil would best illustrate the gcologiiral lonnation of llie eounirv. I'liese 1 submitted to Sir Wm. Lo;,Mn, the Provin- cial Oeologisl, and to E. Hillings, E^ip, I'.iheoatologist, his principal assistant. .Mr. Hillings has kinil'y favorod me with an arliele, uliicli I have much pleasure in in-eiiing, and lo whi.'li, comina; as il does I'ro III such high authority, 1 wonkl invite particular aiien- lion. Ill respect to some of the fnssils, it will be obsiTvcd he has ol.l.iined [ho valuabi • o(iin''ons of Professor Dawson, uf .McGill Cnll,'-e, and .Messrs .Me k & Mayden, of Was'.ingl n, will are eoiwideied th- highest autlMrilies in Aui'^ric i on all P'jiiils relati 'g lo the sixondary and tertiary formations of the central porlKai of the coiitineni. .Mr. Uusscll. of Olawa. who has inide the subject of coloni- zation his paiticul.ir study, and wlm has had a great deal ofex- perienei' in Oiieiiing up new counti ies, has favored me with li s opinions in respect to the a Ivanl.ige of settling in a prairie re- gon, as (V mp.ired with a c iintry entiridy wooded; and his remarks I am convinced, will be read with much inteie^l. As I write, despatches hav- (Nime in from the |iar:y engageil ine.xploiing the country biween Lake ."siiperio! and Kainv Lake, .ind 1 h ive much satisf u'lion in sayiii,' ilial Hie survey's li ive been progrcssiiii; as rapi^liy as could have been expected, as Will he -ecu on ref<'renco to the .innexed report? from Messrs. Gau let and Kuisell. I liavc- llie honor to be, Sir, Vour most obedient servant, S. .1. IJA»VSO.\, C.F,. ill charge of lied Uiver Kxjx-dilioii. Hon. Char'es Aleyn. .M.P.P., Provincial Secrclary, &c., Toronio, C VV. REMARKS 0\ THE PROGRESS OF THE E.VI'EDiriON. leni,'tli in the Hliie Hook coiiiainim; 111. •ircorres|ion(iencc, re|ioris, I sh:ill for Hie sake of breiiiy, c. inline my-elf, in The first exploritnry excursions if the variniis parties coin- posin.r the Re I River exnedi ion II iv ng been iLvelt upon at ant; anil this repiirl, lo iin aecounl of the operati lis of He party tinder my iininerd of March following, and, al'ler his arrival, our pi)wer to ol)tiiin what we re(]uired was limited only f)y die capacity -if the settlement to furnish it. Tlie explorations accimplishcd during the winter, and e-irly in tlie spring, embrace the region lietween the Lake of the Woods ard Ked Kiver; the Roseau IJiver, of which a cursory survey was made ; ihe l{cd River, which was sul)jecled to an instrumenial siirviy l)etwcen i'embina and Fort Garry, and bctvyeen the .Slime Fort and Lake Winiiipei; ; a like survey having lieen m ide, also, ol'tlie coast of Lake Winnipeg, between the mouth of Red River and Fort .Mexandcr. My report on the country between the Lake of the Woods ami lied River, with a copy of the mip accompanying it, is published in the " Ulue liook" of la«t year. The region ciiibraced in the oth^r surveys abo- , enumer.iled will be more particularly described in this repor.. When llie.se surveys were progressing in the spring, 1 endea- voured lo collect a supply of provisions for our then contem- plated cxcursio.n t;i the westward, and this was a matter of some diflicully, in c insequence of moit of the available supplies hav- ing been bought up bv the Hudson's Ray Company, the unusual scarcity in the seltlemrnt, and the desire of the settlers to keep a supply on hand in caiiiiiiiier ; the wild riee on its borders, and the fish which iilxMind in its waters, aH'ordini,' them an easy means of subsistence, not 111 mention the maizu which they grow on the islands. They are a fine looking race, and if removed from liie humanizing inllueiices of civilization, they are also strangers lo llu' vices which it brings. The in ire generally tall and well lormcd, and .some of the women ri'markably comely, but they arc not very cleanly in their h;il>ils, and there can be nothing more suiigeslivi- of indolence than their mode of life, which, however, has one feature to reeonnuend it iti the entire exeniplion from care with which it seems to be attended. (iliding in their light canoes from island to island, basking in the sunsliine nn some pebbly strand, and merely exerting them- selves to an extent suliicient to supply their immediate wauls, the fnture ;ill', cis them not, and they appear to be su()remely happy; but the winter brings its trouble-, and they have then lo betake themsi'lves to the forests in single fiimilies, where, haviui; only game lo depend upon, they are sometimes sadly straitened. Front the Lake of the WoihIs lo Lake Winnipeg, the Win- nipeg Kiver presents a succession of lake-like expanses and foaming < alaracN, making altogether a ilescent of abi..:l 300 feel in a distance of 160 miles. The shores are in general rocky, but there is nothing lo warrant the assumption that there mai not I.e (jood land at some distance from the river; for on making encpiiries of the Indians win. were familiar with the country, we learned that ihe region iiilanit was comparatively level, or rising only in nndiilatinns which s<'arcely deserve Ihe iianie of hills. To explore ii, however, would be a mere waste of lime, as ii is not on Ihe hue of route which, instt^ad of fol- lowii'g the Winnipeg, must strike across the country from the Lake of the Woods to Kcd (liver. Simtc ollhc tidls on the Winnipeg are remarkably beautiful, and ae(|iiir<^ addilional interest from the wildness of Ihe sur- rounding sniicry Till' Silver Falls, I'ointe du Hois, and ("linte a .laipiol are all very imposing, more especially Ihe latter, which is one of Ihe few places where th.' whole viilnme of Ihe Win- ipeg can be seen. In general, however, the .scenery is com- paratively tame. High rocky bluti's, woody islets and lakes, compose a picture pleasing enough in itself, but weari.some from its monotony. THE RKD KIVF.R I'OUNTKY AND THE REGION TO THE WE>TW,\1!I) THEREOF. This is a region diibring as widely as may be in iis physical cliaracler from that which has just been described Although ihe disiance acio,ss Iroiii the Lake of the Woods to Red River is Iml ninety miles, the country un(lergo(-s a com|)lele chanife. Insle;id of th(! lakes with llieii" wc.ody ish-ts, the clear running slreams and loaming rapids, and the swelling hills covered with forests of pine, an undeviating (lat spreads out every where, vasl prairies open U|) where the vyv seeks in vain for some prominent point to r,st upon, and the rivers, richly bor- dered \uili trees of anolher kind, flow with a sluggish course tluough thegiial alluvial plain. However, if the scenic beauty which charaelerizes ihe regioa so near it to the eastward is wanting, this eounlry is iiicomj)arably superior in all that can minister to the wants of man. Civilization has already set its impress upon the soil, and human habitations appear at inter- vals lor a hun.lred miles along the Red liiver and the Assini- bniiie. The icngue of land immediately to the eastward of Red RiviT, wiihiii Ihe bound.iry line, and between it and the Lake o| the Woods and the River Winnipeg, is remarkable, inasmuch .is it divides the wooded from the prairie region, pariaking lo s.mie ('xlent of the eharaeler of both. Its ea.stern border, on ihe Lake of the Woods and the Wiimipe^r, js of the crystalline formation, of an uneven surface, and densely wooded. It.s weslom, on the Red River, presents wide prairie openings, and for a distance of about thirty miles back is of an alluvial soil. Immediately to the westward of the Lake of the Woods, and but slightly elevated above it, there is a marshy plateau, scantily wooded, from which Ihe Roseau River flows westward to Red River, the White Mouth River northward lo the Winnipeg, and several inconsiderable streams eastward lo Lac Plat, and the Lake of the Woods itself. Westward of this plateau the land descends evenly to the prairie bordering on Red River, and to ihe northward it declines very gently to Lake Winnipeg; another river, the liroken Head, taking its rise on the slope between While Mouth River and Red Uiver, about six miles to the eastward of which latter it (lows into Lake Winnipeg in a reedy marsh. In the marshy jilateau just refer- red to lies Lac des Roseau, issuing from whence the Roseau, or Reed Grass R'ver, (lows westward almost at right angles to the general direction of the streams. On leaving Lac des Roseau it has at first a sluggish course through a reedy marsh, it then rushes rapidly through a wooded country, making a descent of al)uut 250 leet in the distance of thirty miles to the prairie borilering on Red River, through which it winds its way with a comparatively gentle current. The obstructions which occur in its course through the wooded region, and the great descent which it there makes, preclude the prol)ability, not lo say po.ssibilily, of its ever becoming available as a channel of communication, except for very small and light canoes, between Red River and the Lake iif the WimhIs; that is, unless it should be thought advis- able at some future period when the eounlry becomes settled, to make it the course of a canal, taking a supply of water from the Lake of the WockIs, a thing which is by no means imprac- ticable, llie Roseau Lake being almost on the level of that Lake and no high land iiilervening between them. Hesides the Roseau several inconsiderable streams, among which the Rat River and the Seine — mere brooks — are the principal, join the Red River from the eastward. The Red River itself has a course nearly due north from the l«)undary line at Pembina lo Lake Winnipeg, a distance in a direct line of 104 miles. It has an average width of about 300 feel, and is navigable to vessels of light (iraught, as it is, also, far lo the south beyond the boundary line. iNcar Lake Win- nipeg the banks are low and marshy, but from the Indian .Settlement upwards they vary from twenty to thirty feet in height. Beyond these the prairie is almost level, having but a very slight inclination lo the River. Frequently there are two or more terraces before the prairie level is att.'uned, and these are subject to l)e overflowed in seasons of extreme high water. Twice within the memory of the present generation, once in 1820, and again in 1852, the water has spread over the upper terrace to the extent of several miles from the river but to no great depth, sufFieient, however, 'o drive the settlers on the irnniediale banks of the river from their homes ; but they are now building their houses on more elevated ground than they formerly did, and it is to be hoped that they may not be subjected to a recurrence of the evils which tliey then experi- enced. At Fort Garry, in latitude 49° 54' North, and longitude 97" 21' West, the Red River is joined from the westward by Ihe Assiniboiiie, its principal tributary; several smaller streams alsi.' join it from the same direction, as delineated on the accompanying map, but thev drain but a limited area and require no particular description. The Assiniboine River, and the Manitoubaand Winniptgoos Lakes having been referred to at considerable length in my report of the 4tli July, 1857, I shall in this avoid as far as pos- sible going over the same ground, merely endeavouring lo convey a general idea of the country and supply what may have been omitted. The lakes acquire great importance from the ea.sy access which they afford to the neighbouring territory. They (-xtend in a direction from south-east to norlh-west about SOU miles. The stream by which lliey di.schargo their united waters into Lake Winnipi^g is called the Little Saskatchewan, in coiitra-dLstinction to the Saskatchewan proper. There is another stream taking its rise on the Uuck Mountain and iiow- 15 ing into tho AHHiniboinc, called, nlsn, the Litiln Saskatchewan, but more commonly known as ilie Kiipiil River, by which name I have designated it. I mention this to avoid confusion of names. Thfl country westwa-d of Ked River, so far as we have explorer' it, iiresenis three divisions, wliicli, although possessing many features in common, are yet of a character in some re- spects distinctly dirt'en nl. Of these the great alluvial flat extending from the 49tli parallel to the Saskatchewan, bounded to ihe eastward and north-eastward by F.ake Winnipeg and the wooded region between Red River and the Italic of the \Voi«ls, and oti the south-west by the high lands which extend from the boundary line to the Pasquia Mountain, on the Saskatche>,an, may be regarded as the first. It has a length of 310 miles, and an average width of CO or 70, and may etribrace an area of 2O,.10O square miles. Abouv one-third ol this extent is ehiedy open prairie land, and the remaining two-thirds mostly wooded. Prom Pembina to Lake Winnipeg the prairie land va.stly pre- dominates, but from thence norlh-westward to the Saskatche- wan the forests gradually become more dense until they cover the entire face of the country. The whole of this region is very level, and, if exception is made of the lands immediately bor- dering on Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan, the soil is of an alluvial description, and so rich that, as experience ha.s shewn, wheat may be grown for twenty successive years with- out exhausting it. A considerable portion of the area is occupied by swamps and lakes, but the swamps, so far as 1 had an opportunity of observing Ihem, are mere marshes, with a bottom of alluvial soil, similar to that of the dry prairie, anil so firm that horses and cattle can wade through them in almost any direction. They seem to owt; their existence solely to the extreme flatness of the country, and us they are at a much higher level than the streams, which all run in deep channels, they might be very easily drained ; indeed, with a pi'oper system of drainage the whole of this great alluvial flat might be brought under cultivation, except, of course, where it is peri- odically overflowed, and the extent to which it is subject to be so is quite insignificant as compared to the whole area. I If the lakes, the Manitouba, Winnipegoos and Shoal Lake are the principal, and these may occnjiy an area of about 2700 square miles. The strearns which flow through the prairie are all bordered more or less with forests, in which oak and elm of a fair size are to be met with, although not in very great enough for till? supply of the Red River Setlleineiil. Willi respect lo the nature of ihe soil, and appeariUlcr nf ihe country, I cannot do betler than transcribe an extrael Irom a journal which I kept while ascending Swan River, the valley of which, from all I could learn, v<'ry much resembles lliat of Red Deer River, and ihe oilier streams which have been men- tioned as flowing into Winnipegoos l-ake. 7th June. Crossed over this morning lo visit the salt springs (on tho western shore of Wiiuii|)egoos Lake, about C miles from the mouth of Swan River). On landing we ascended a sleep bank, which has the appearance of an arlificial emhankmenl, within which, and but slightly elevated above the level of tlie lake, a bare Hal, without tree;, shrub, or grass of any kind, oeeiipies an area of 20 or 30 acres. The surface of tlii>< (lal is eiicrusleil lor the most part with a saline sulislance ; and lliMiighout its entire extent there are numerous little mounds, from the lop of which issue springs, all of lliein emilling more or less gas. We found here a family of half breeds engaged in the manufacture of salt, and we learned from them that the mounds somelimes subside, when the ground begins to swell in another plaee, and another sprmg bursts forth. The water is, in taste, liUc that of the St. Leon water of Lower Canada, and on being drunk, pro- duces the same efleel. Similar springs, we were informed, occur on Shoal River, between the Winnipegoos and Swan Lakes. Leaving Ihe salt springs, we ascended Shoal River, which is the name here given to .'-wan River, and ciosseil over Swan Lake, at the head of which we eneaniped for the night. The scenery of this loh.ly region is really beaiitilnl of its kind. As we passed through Swan Lake, the sun was.seiiini; behind a range of hills which rose over a low wooded country to the west. To Ihe south the blue outline of the Duck Moiml'aiii was just discernable on Ihe verge of ihe horizon ; while we, in our tiny craft were gliiling on through woody islanls, ricn in the first green drapery of summer. Perha|)r. the traiKpiil scene on which we looked iin|)ressed us the more from h.iving been but- feted for some days previously on stormy lakes, lo the naviga- lion of which our little canoes were but ill adapted. Tliis evening we set nets, and obtained a good supply nf fish. 8lh June. Continued our course up Swan River against a tortuous stream with a strong current. The banks of the river, near Swan Lake, are of an alluvial soil, but so low that they must be occasionally overflowed. .\swe ascend they become higher, and the growth of limber indicales a soil of unsurpassed fer- tility ; weather fine, but rather windy. 9lli June. Start at daybreak, and at 8 a.m., reach a buililint; called the store, at which we find 40 carts, which the Hudson's Hay Com- pany use in the fall to draw their supplies inland, hot see neither men nor horses. Hreakfast and an observation taken, we continue our course, passing through a line connliy. Gra- dually the river becomes more rapid, but we make, neverihe- less, a fair journey, having come over 20 miles against a very strong current. To-day I travelled a long distance by land ; the 16 soil is good, but densely wooded, cliielly with poplnr of a larpo size. Ill llie lnw giounds, however, spruce and lurch are abun- dant ; and on the lianks of the river maple is to be seen on the flats, Tiie weather continues line, but the niorniiigs are rather cold. lOih June. This morning we were awakened by a regular serenade from the birds ; the woods here are positively olive wilh them. Continue our course. Iiut are much delayed by the shallowness of the ^trellm, and continuous rapids, full of large boulders. Having made a fi w miles, I leave the canoe, nnd march by land. The (lals have given place to high rolling banks, and wide prairie openings nppoar among the forests. As we pro- ceed the country becomes still more open ; and to judge by the progress of the vegetation and tlie black mould thrown up 'ii countless hillocks by the moles, the soil must be very rich. Where land slips occur on the immediate banks of the river, they exhibit a face of yellow loam, or stiff clay, curiously stra- tified, and shewing the presence of minerals in the water which oozes from between ihe strata. To-day we saw some elk, but failed to get a shot ; we also saw tiuiuerous bear trucks, but saw none of those interesting animals. The weather continues clenr and fine. 11th June. Dispatched an express at daybreak to Fort Pclly, in order, if possible, to get horses to take the baggage across to the Assini- boine by the time we should reach the carrying place ; then send the men to pole or track up the rapids as best they might, while de Salaberry and I walk by land, in order the belter to obtain courses and distances, and ascertain the nature of the soil, &c. We pass through a beautiful country, presenting about an equal extent ol woodland and prairie As we pro- ceed, the openings hecome larger, and the wood less frcipienl. The valley seems to be about thirty or forty miles in width. To the west appear the Porcupi-.c Hills, which .sepjirate it from the valley of Red I leer Kivcr, to the south. Thunder Mountain rises like a blui' cloud in the distance, and to the east the smooth outline of the Duck .^iouiitain is si^en at intervals through the openings in the forest. The weather to-day w.is delighlful, and the appear.mce of the country so pleasing, tliat we wandered too far, and, bring unable to rejoin our party, had to sleep sup- perless and without covering. 12th June. Rejoin the party, breakfast, and then leaving De Salaberry with the can ic, I tike a man wilh me, and proceed by land. We continue to walk on for about 20 or "5 miles to the carry- ini; place, in the hope of mecling the peojilc who had bien sent to Fort I'elly for Ihjrses. 'I'hey do not come, and as we saw nothing; to shoot, oral least thai we could shoot, having but a ride wilh Us, wi; go to sleep fasting under the cover of some trei's. Such a country as wc have passed ihrouuh to-day, 1 liavc never before seen in a slate of nature. The beautiful grei'ii of the rolling prairie, the irces rising in isolated gripves, looking at a distance as if laid out by the hand of art, and Ihe blue hills bounding the prospect, presented a picture pleasing in ilself ;md highly iiitercsling when considered in relation to the future. Ii required no great ctfort of tlie imagination in weary travellers to see civilization advancing in a region so admirably prepared by n iture for its develo|iinent, to picture herdsof domestic cattle roaming over plains still deeply furrowed wilh the tracks of the burtalo, which, with the luinlers who pursued them had disap- peared forever ; or to plant collages among groves which seemed but to want them, with the slir of existence, lo give the whole the appearance of a highly cultivated country. The weather today has been as line as we have had it fur some days past. 13lh June. .■\stir at daybreak, load the rifle with shot, and go in search of game ; come on some plover, which we knock over, roast, and have a delicious repast. Scarcely have we done when horsemen appear galloping down the opposite bank. 'Ihey prove to be our messengers, bringing six horses from Fort Pelly, Mr. .McDonald, the geiulcman in charge, having kindly sent me his own horse to ride. This was was very civil, seeing that he had never heard of ns before, nnd know nothing whatever about H». Hut the Hudson's Hay Company's ollicers aie eijually polite nt idl their stations. We mount and go in search of the canoe, nnd have Ihe pleasure of galloping over the plains where we had such a weary walk yesterday. We fail to tind the canoe, however, and eump on the prairie, having first hobbled the horses in the approved manner of the country. Weulher to-day oppressively hoi. 1 conclude my reinurks on this section by saying that the Indians report coal on the Rolling River, a tributary of Swan River — which has its source in the Duck M(miilain — on Swan River itself, above the carrying-pliiee, unr, nolwitli- slaiiding that it has a very tortuous couise, someliiui s winding about for three miles to make one in a straight direction, it i-, nevertheless, very rapid, having a deseenl in smne places of ten feet per mile. From the Rapid River downuards, in parsing through the hilly rigion from the higher prairie |)laleau to the lower, it makes a di scent of at leasi 301) feet in the distan. e of 50 or 00 miles. So that the diliiculty of rendering it navigable lo craft of coiisidera'rtle size may re.idily b(! conceived. .\t the sourci's of the yu'.\pi>elle, .a tributary of Ihe Assini- boinu, there is said to be a lake which during the spring floods discharges its waters two wavs; that is, into the smilli biancli of the Saskatihewan as well as into the Qu'Appelle, and some travellers who have passed that way imagint^ tliat they .see in this a means by which a water communication might be opened thiongh Ihe valleys of the .\ssiniboine nnd (iu'.\p[)elle lo the Saskalchewan. ami soirieohers, without considering the con- figuration of the country, have adopli'd the same pleasing but de- lusive idea, the absurdity of which, in the jiresent state of Ihe counlry, will be apparent when it is considered that in Ihe Qu' Appelle there is not water enough for the supply of a canal, that even if a supply could he iutroduccil from ihe SaskHlchewaii there Would still be llie important item of at least 000 feet ol lockage to provide for, and that locks would have rallier an uiistul.'le ibundalion in ihc hollom of asofi alluvial valley like thai of llic Assiniboine, which must carry ott' ihe drainage of the high prairie plaleuii on either side, and which in many placet, is periodically overflowed between the higher banks which hew 17 Tnbont ■iHinlly of till! N wlicrc inil iIr- li()l)l)li'il Vfuilior hat till- Swan II Swan Miiiin- KiviT. |> Swan arks oil It in, nfroriling no im'ans (ifcoinmaiidlng or carrying oH'tlio sur- plus waliT.* So ilidii'iilt if< it to iii,vii,'atn tlii'so Mtrcarns, nviMi in Hiiiall cnnni's, thai llin Imlians ami iihiIiti ))irl'i'r lln' iisi- oj' carts, witii wiiirli llii'V travfl over llif plaiiiM willi urral i'ai;ilily. Hut, if lliii riviTs raniioi rasily Im' r.'iiili'ri'd navii^ahii-, llip country i« ailmiralilv adaplnl lor raiiroailH, and wlii'n nrllli.'- mini is inlrodiiiTil and Irado lias urisrn, thesis will bucunic an iinpuratlvu nccfssity. GEM'UAL IIKMAIIKS. Tali inj^ till' tliri'i' si-clions if munlry jiisl di'.mTibi'd, rollri'- tivi'iy, tlii'y I'liiliraii' an arra of l()7,tHH) wiiiarc mill's or OK,- Oriti.OIK) ai-ns, di'iliiclinL,' 7,(M)I) Mpiarr iiiilis lor llir ap'a of llir Laki's .M-inilimha, \Viiiiii('ri,'oos, tir., and llic barren himls bordi-riiit,' on l,;il,'i'iii'rai lit for ciillivalioii. In rslimalini,' the valiii' of tin- wi'slrrn iTi,'iiin, liowi'ViT, it must be borne in iiiind thai this does nnl nmonnt to a fourlli pari of the area, wliieli, in point of soil and olimate, is usually eonsidered to be av;iilable lor selllemeiil. Far beyond the soiirees of the Assinihoine, on the slopes of the KoeUy Monnlain- ami norlhward to I'eaee Kiver, llieri' lies a vast re;,'ioii \\ here ihe eliiiiale is on ihe averai,'!' mil inferior to that of I'pper ("a I, ad a. For, ad mitt iiii; that ihe siii Miner isnt her- nials have a norlhwesl diri'elion, as is ineoiilniverlibly proved by l.oiin I!lfM|i,'el :ind others, the elimale ol ihe valley ol I'eaee liiver in M'^ North latitude and ll*-" West loni^'iliid'e laitjiil to be eipial, if iiol superior, to that of Ued lUver in ihe .MMli parallel, and the observaliiais ol travellers seem to I'onlirin this assump- tion. Sir Alexander MeKenzie wniim,' on tin; lOlli of May, in refereiii'i! to the valley of I'eaei' Kiver, says : — "The whole country displayed an exuber.int verdure.'' Now, a' Ked Ifiver, on the same dale last year, the trees were only just eoiuin!,' into leaf, and the i^reen yrass of the prairies becfiiiliiiii;; to shew itself above the wilhered herbas^e of the lormer year, so that peace Kiver would seem to have the advanlai^e. lint, wilh- oiit i,'oint,' so far north, there is a vast area where no dispute can be raided as to the eliniale, eipially valuable uilh the rcffion which I have endeavoured to describe. In respect to the natural productions of the country in its present state, wood, as has been already slated, is in snilieiciit abundance, more especially iii the ,'aslern sections, to siipplv tlie wants of settlements lor a louf^ time to come. Oak and elm arc to be had in small quantities, ami a sullieiciicy of birch, lurch uiid spruce might be obtained tiir bnildiiii; purposes. There is not u pine tree, however, so liir as we could see, in the whole rci;iou thnaigh which we iravelled, and the belief that there is arises from the circumstaiue of the natives calliiiir spruce, cyjiress, &c., by the (iciicric iiaine of pine. The pre- vailing growth every wiiero is poplar, e!\d how that species of wood should lie so prevalent, on soil so dilKrent troui wliat it urows oii iii ('aiiiid.i, is due to the (ires which so fre- quently sweep over the country. A prairie, or forest even, over which the lire has piUised, is jnst picpaied to necive the downy seeds of till! |)oplar which in the month of ,lime arc constantly floatini; in the air. The Indians say, and I think there can be no doubt of the fact, that but for the tires the ])rairies would soon be overf^rown with wood. He this as it ni;iy, the rapidity of the {jrowlh of the poj)lar, once it has taken root in the rich soil of these plains, is truly astonishinp;. •since wrilintJ tlu' iilmvp I tmve lind th,* udviiiitat:;!' of tieiiriiii; I'mfei'sor Uliiii'H lectiu-H (III ill.' Miil>),cL ti. wliich it ri-lor-*, Imt. t-vi-ii a'tiiiiuirii; tli.u lli.' whole volume ot tlif Smilh Kimih'Ii nf tlio .S.itfkati'lifWiiri cmil-i lie tunieil inti- tlie iiirApjielle, it limst not lie HUpiv)-,"! that locki* eotiM he llil.'jn■Il^eli witli. It ifl poiinilile, inleeil. that in the viilli-y of the Iju'Anpelle itnell, where the ileiriMit i» represented an U-inj^ very gentle, the cuiTeiil inii,'lit not he t' o -itioni; for j'te.iiiurt* of great power, [int. on the Asuinihonii-, Itoni Ihe Itapiil Uiv.'r downWiiriU, in nmkilig tile ileheent from the hi^jlier prairie to the lowiT, wliere, aa I have saiil, there must he a fall of ::oil feet Ihe aeiMimiilate.I niaan of water wouhl ril^li with the inipetmiHity of n niouiitiiiii torrent. 'I'lie plaiim of Ite.l Kiver wouM lie eon- vurteil into a sett, anil the Settlement rtwept into Lake Winnipeg'. Fortunately, tills eontingeney in renilered highly iinpriih.ihle hy the faet that to proiluee it a duu sf 8S feet iu heiglit wuulii li« requiitii accuu a river kali a luilu lu wiJUi. 8 Stone of all kindi, fit for bnildin); |iurposes, is to be fnunil on Lake Wiiiuipeff ; liiiiestonu appears on Ued Kiver, iind is very abiiiidant on the Maiiitonba and \Vlimcpeil miles west of Fori (iarry, but liirlher to the west there did not appear to me to be fixed rock of any kind, that i-<, as lar as we travelled. Ill eonsideriiin the means by which settlers eiiiild siijiport themselves on being first introdiieed into the cmmtry, u very important article of consuinptinu would be foiiiid in the fish, which arc very abiimlant in the rivers and lakes ; stnrgeoii, while-fish, pike, dure, and varinnsiiihei' kinds li literally swarm, t >ii one ncea-ioii we raiiglit with a very Miiiall net as many as sixty, equal in size and, I think, superior in llaviiiir to the white-lish of Lake llui'en, Ducks, geese, and aquatic fi,wl of all sorts frequent the marshes and lakes tl.roiitfh- uiil the eoiiiiliy. On passing along the reedy shores of .Maiii- Iciiiba and \Viimi|iegiios Lakes the ducks rose before us in a con- tiiiiicais cloud, for liiiiidrcds of miles. Wliile dcsceiiiiiiig the .Assiniboiiie We had nothing to eat cxcipl what we shot, and iu an hour or two at any time we could lay in a supply ol ducks, geese iiiid other fowl snUicieiit tiir two days. .\t certain -eiisoMs prairie fowl and snipe are niiinerons, and pigeons are somrliincs ver\ abimdaill. Nloose deer, elk, ami antelope ,ire to be tiinnil on Swan Kivi r and some parls of the .Vs^iniboine. Farther to the west the Miill'.ilo mam in coiinlless herds, and the pemican and dried meat mule tr their Mesh are imporlant articles of trade in Ihe Icrriloiy .V party ot Ked Kiver linnters killed as iiiany as fjnr thousand -f these animals on one excur- sion last Slimmer. Now, although the oceupatioiis of an ai,'riciillurist are not e.x- actlv comp.itible with those of a hunter, still the presence of so imieh that, in cases of nece^sily, might be made to contribute to the support of a bcltlemeiit in its first stage should nut be lost sight uf. GEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF THE COUNTRY. No practical geologist having iiecomjianied the jiarty, I was careful to collect such specimens of tiissils, shale, and coal as I conceived would best illustrate the gcoloirical lormetion uf the reoion. These I >ul)iiiitted to Sir William Logan, and .Mr. Hil- lings, as iilre.idy slated, aiul I would invite particular attention to the following most intcresling coninumicatioa from Mr. Hillings. Geologic.vi. SinVEY OI- CANAn.V, Montreal, -J 1st Feb., 1359. Deah Sir, — The fossils and rock specimens submitted by you for exainiiiatiim, are of great scientilie importance, as they demonstrate the existence, in the country lying west of the Red Kiver, ol a formation not heretofore reoooiiized witldii th ■ Hrilish territories of the north-west. It has been long known, through the various papers |iublisliod by Ur. Hi.jsbv, Sir .lohn Ivichardson, and others, that from the lieighhourhood of the Lake ot the Woods, a belt of silnriaii limestones and shales runs north-westeily to the vicinity of Oieat Hear Lake; but up to the present time we have had no data whatever upon which to iouiiil an opinion as to what miglit be the geological age of the vast region lying between this belt and the Rocky Mountains. Your collection ftiriiishcs us with almost indisputable evidence that a considerable portion of the territory belongs to the cretaceous period, or the great chalk formation so largely devel- oped in the Old World. This one fact, which I believe to bo now sulliciently established, is of the greatest value, as it allords a starting point.or foundation, upon which the materials collected bv future ex|)lorers can be readily worked out. The specimens were quite sniricieiit to enable me to determine the general question ot their geological age, bin as it was advis- able to have also the opinion of scientific men who have made the cretaceous rocks their special study, i forwarded some of the fossils to Missis, Meek and Ilayden, who are now at Wash- ington engaged upon the collections of the Government explora- tions of the United iStutcs. These geutlcuieu arc the Liylicst 18 niillmrilics in AiiuTioiioii all iHiinIs ri'laliiin to the sccoiuliiry iiiul tiTtiarv liirinaliiiiH of llir i"'iili;il |)iiiiioii nl' llir ruiiliiicnt. 'I'licir oiiiiiiiiii i-< very iniiliuiisly ^ivni, Iml il is the iiicirc valiial)li' on that account. Dr. Dawson, Principal of .Mcliill rollcur of lliis (,'ilv, cxain- incil inicToscopicallv several ;'iicciincMr( of the t'oisil wo d and lignite. T. [{, Jones, l",S(i., lit' the llcolo^ical Society ot' l.niiilon, has decided that one ol the small fossils t'ri>in the lirn<'sioiie of l.akc \Vinni|)ci;oos (which I sent him in a letter) is a new species. All the iithcrs hein;; sihirian tonus I have dclermini d niyscit'. It is not necessarv in this eoinnninii'iilion to ;;ive technical de- scriptions i.l'ulltlie fossils in the colleilion, .and, indi'ed, it wonid not he advisahle to do so, for in most instaiu'cs where species arc defnicd vviihont a earchd examination and ecanparison of inaiiv ijood specimens, mor<' or less error has hi'en snperindn<'ed. I earnestly h"pe that another year's exploi.ition may yield innch new miiterial, which will cnahle ns to pnsh I'nrlln r the work that has licen so well coinmcnci d ; I shall, therefore, fiir tin- present limit my report principally to the opinions ot' the sc\er,al l'cii- tlemen who have lieen l.ind iMionnh to furnish ine with iheir assistance in the di|iarlmcnls i>l' the science in which they are so jnstiv eclchrated, with hnt a ti'W iiencral ohscrvalions ol my own, riio followini; is Messrs. Meek and llayden's le'ter: SMirrisoM \N lNSTrn.Tio.\, WiishlnHton City, Sth Feh., ISJ'J. Dkau Sin, — The box of specimens sent hy yiai interests ns very imich,as they seem to prove the ixi-lcncc of the (•rclaeeeri|ili ,ns of this species, jinhlished hy DeKay ami Morion, are not very satisliie- tory, as thc^e L'cntlcmcn seem to have soinetimes eiaitoiniiled it with allot' r speciei sill' c described hy I'rof. Tnoiiiy under the name of .1 lolmlns, which is sharply carinati' on the ilorsnm, |f yon will look, however, at the lijiiire lirst |inl)lished by Delvav, *(.\nnals X. Y. l,y<-eiim N:il. Ilisi., V.'l. II. p. ."),) yon will see that he iinist have had befure him, when he named his A fihi' rtiltl, the tiirin with the llaitencd or j^rooved dorsiim, which is common in New Jersey and .Mab.iiiia. In N'ebtviska il oeenrs in torma- tion .\o. 1, of the cretaceons scries of that region. The only ipiestion in rciiiird to vniir specimen is, whether it tnay not have been carried by the lihicklcet Imlians fri>m some of the I'pper .MiM^onri localities. This tribe you know rani:<'s from the heail waters of the .Missouri far north-west into the Undsdii's Hay Territories ; and in coinmcjii with other Indians they are in the habit of carryiiiir with them shells or any oiIk r bright object that may attract their allention or excite their cnriosity. The matri.x (jf the >pecimen y^JU have sent is exactiv like that in which most of onr .Nebraska fossils are envelopi'd, iii formation No. 4, as you will see by the spceiiiien it( Inocirtimiis sagetms we scml yon. The shell itself is also precisely in the same state of preservation. .Still it is ipiite probable that rocks bclonijing to the eretneeons system m.iy occur in the rejiion wlure tlie Indiiin s.iys he obtained this specimen, which coiichision the other speeimena from near Fort (iarry seem to favor. If so. Ammonites plac-nln is one of the very s]ncies we would expect to finion is iln' lari;e size of some of the pieces, ami the fact that no larije InncriiniUH is known to occur in this part of the series. Tin' d.irk frai;- ments in the specimen No. I, appear to be fragaients of lish bones. No. 2 is unlike anythinir in our eollcclion. It has the form and general appearance of a Ucnlaliuiii, but on a closer ex- amination it will be sciMi not to be hollow like tlio rIicIIm of that yenns, but s,ilid and composed of innnite (ibres radiatin({ from a central or siih-ecnlral axis ns in the m'tins lUtliiniulis ilioiii,'h il docs not appi'.ir to liavi- the seiiu-tratisliieeiit horny appearance so common in ih.il i^eniis. The small oyster in .\'o. ;1, seems to he iliirerent from (). e(iiii(C!itii. VVe send yon Hpeciinens of the latter, however, so ihat yon can make a eompati^on. Tiic dark- shale Ircan the .\sslniboiiie, 2.50 mili-n from Fort (Iarry. isnndi-lini,'aisbable Irotn many specimens in our posses- sion Irian No. 'i of llie Nidaa-ka -ectioii, aloiii,' the Missouri iibovc Hit; Sioux Itiver, iind fniin ne.ir the lilaik Hills. It also contains sm;ill scab's of lislics, which we regard as identical with some we have from thai formation. We send \oii Npeeiincns marked \. I and \. 2. These you will observe iire alniosl exailly like that on your speeinien, and lead us to think lliey bidoiii,' to the Mime species and the same epoch. The llinly specimeii>, we think, if ori,'anic, must dilier from any ihiny in our coUciiion. Very trttly yours, MKF.K & HAYDKN. In explanation of such jiorlions of the above letter as refer to the .Nebraska seclioii of the erclaceous rocks, | liet; to slati' that Messrs. .Meek and llayden have carefully explored and tnappid i;eo|oi,'ically a laryc- tract of the north-west Teriilnry of the I'liilcil Slates, cxteniliiii,' as far norlli as the boundary line or williin one Inmdred miles of the .Vssiniboine. In Nebraska they Iind these rocks to exhibit the followinji; series. I No. t>. loll Id |.")L) feet of 1,'ray and yellowish arenaceous I clays, somelimes wealln'rini; to a pin!' colour, (ireat iiuinbers of marine iiii>//it\t'i, with a lew land plants, bones of Mosanarus, iic. No. 1. ;{.'iO feel of blni-li and dark plastic clay, containing numerous niarine m.)//i/.sC(i. No. ,i. III!) to l.tU feel bail 1,'ray ealeareons marl, weatlicr- iiii,' lo lii,'lit yellowish lint. .Scales of tislies. Oatnil amnesia, liKirn'dmii.i, I'rohlinutticHs, &c. No. 2. iliJ hi'l d.uk t,'ray laminated clay. Scales of fishes with a few small Aiiliiiuiiita', iic. No. I. Ill) lo lOi) li'ci of yellowish sandstone and clay willi Water-worn lr.it;iiienls of lii;nile not known to Ijelong lo the erelaeeons sy>li'm. In this sei-tion No. I is ilie lowest anil the others lie above il in llie onler ilesii,'naled ; No. .') bcini^ the highesl rock idenlilieil with the cnlaceuiis forni.alioii ; above .No. 5 there is a deposit :iearly 700 leet lliitdi of tertiary rock with much lii,'nile and nniiieroiis remains of lint;e land animals of exiincU forms. It is tirsi worthy of notice that lii;nile occurs iei No. 1, which is the boliom of the series, and also in the Tertiary wliii h is the top of the whole i;rinip. \'(nir specimens of lii,mile coal, tlierelore, not havint; Ix'cn found in jilaee, iniiy be either of cretaceous or tertiary. The .Ammonite procured from the Indian belom^s lo No. 4, and that this formalion does exist in the north-west I have some additional evidence in several fossils pl.iceil in my hands by (ico. liaiiistoii, Ksip, ol the Iluil.son's Hay Company, after I had forvvanled yours lo .Meek ii llayden. These were procured Iran a man who said lie found them in tin' bed of the .siaskalclicwan. One is undoubtedly S itphilis Sico/itlii and another Naiitiliin IJeKuyi, both characteristic of formation No. 4. Takint,'lhe evidence of these fossils with the fact that all the cephalopiMla except one, mentioned in Meek & llayden's pnblislii'd Works, ueciir in their Nos. 4 and 5, the o|)inion that these deposits do exist in the north- west may he advanced with a i^ooil (leal of probability of its bein^ sooner or later confirmed by positive proof. 1 judi^e a i,'ood deal from the condition of lh(! fossils which I think had not been carried far before they cunie into the liauJs uf yourself aad Mr. Baraston. 10 Till" H|cfitii('nM (if (lurk mIimIc which, nccotiUnti lo yonr momi'niiuliirn, wcn> "Icniinl nn ihn A-iMinilxiiiir, i'ti) iiiilr.H fniin Kurt (iiirry, wlicri' lln' li.inkw ur IjiIIm lionlcrniL,' tin- viillcy nro ciiiiiixpucil (il lh(! iimlcriiil,'' urn iiinrc «;ili'ry Ijcciuino ihcy wpri- tiikrii rnuii llic IiimI. I hiivi' nirchilly (((iiiiiaicil yours willi ihnsc turwurilecl l)y Mrt'k anil lliiyilni, iukI ticl i|iijl(' s.'iti^liiil that iliiv iirc ihc Haiiic, IkiiIi lithdlii^ii'iilly anil |ialiriiii|>iliiL'i('allv. I lliiiik it will (•Htal)li»li<'lat'u on (lie A.t^iiniboiau win ir llicy wnc priH.'nrc'il. 'I'll!' uprciinrns lakrn I'loiii llif licilhovcrlaiil liv saiiilNloiw loO niiliw from Korl (iairy hrinn- ilic small oy.slii', llii' tiwsil nsiin- liliiif,; ilonliiliinn, anil also the lilirmis snl>slani:r, arr all ol'ilonlit- ful Hpriirs. Mure spriinirns slionld In' pioiiitril. 'I'licv a|iprai- to inc to 1)1' crrtarcons, lint altlioil^^li wo liavr in tin' nnisin I' till- snrvt^y u nolilr rolliciii f Knt^lisli dialk fossils, i caiiMut linil any that wfirvv cxartly with yonrs, Jndt^in;; lidni tlir asprrt aliinr I liavo no lusitation in H«yin|< that tliry arc rilliiT .Inrassic or I 'rrlaccun^. ami allhon;.'h tlir spi'cit'N Liinno! 1)1' ilitiiiiiintil, i/i/ l/ii ij iwhihli.sli lliin iiiipiii'/iinl ,/iicl, that at II point an tlir Assiiiilioini , l,"iO inilm iri.it oj /•'//< (Jiiny, sci:i)iuliiri) nnks ilit ncriir. 'I'liat this t!ul is of ^rrat vr.lnr any onr may lonvinri' hiriiMlf liy roiinrctiii); il wilhllir rxistrncc ot llii- lii'lt of sihnian rorks knouii to rnn Inan tlir Lake ot' the WoiiiU liy Lakrs Winnipr;; ami Wiimiprvjoos, north- wi'strrly. This licit of sihnian locks consisln of strata, which, upon the whole, ilip lowanls the sonlh-wc^t, ami innsl i nii iniilir the locality on the Asainihoiiic if, then lore, the irnc coal inciuslircH exist at all in ihul part of the coimtrv, ihev will lie foiinil hctwccn the western eiljic of il.c silnrian lull aiul a line piissing through i\ point l.'iO miles west ot I'"ort (iiirrv, ami rnn- iiinn north-west ami siinth-easl. The Assinilioiiic rocks arc newer tlian the coal formation, ami the sihnian olihr, anil thns liy lixini; tlic njiv of the liirnier the coal ipiolion is narroweil down as it were to a tract of conntry l.'iO miles wide. I do not aflirin that coal does exist there, lint I think it a part of the country which should he sniiliiilled to a very earehil jxeolo^^ical invcstl;j!ilioii. The specimens of tertiary coal collei led liy von arc verv dif- ferent from that of the true carlioiiilcrons period. Von are aware thai in <;eneral it is not fonnd in sniliciciil ipiaiilities lo bu of econoinic value. Hcds, however, two teel in ihickiiess are known In occur, and il is not lieyond ihe limits of prohahililv that some lar^c deposit may he discovered which would funiisli a great amount of fuel. The foliiiwin^; are the resiiit.s of Dr. Dawson's examinations: NOTE ON roSSlL-WOOl) AND LIUMTE FROM THE NUUTH-VVIvST. No.]. CoiiifcroHK wood miiuiaUzi.d 1)1) iron jii/rifrs. — Ills not sutHcienlly well preserved to allow 'is iniuutc structure to be seen. No. 2. Lignite. — This specimen has the appearance nf jit, but burn.i wilhonl Ihime, emiUiii;; a tclid odour. The structure, as seen in slices and in the ashes, consists of woody lihrc withonl incdiilarv rays, rcseinlilin^ coniferous wood, but very imper- fectly preserved owiiijf to the compression of the cell walls into a nearly homonenons mass. Ii much resembles in .structure and appearance the lijfuite troni Mackenzie itivcr, examined by Bovverbank lor Sir J. llich.irdson.* No. 3. Ciinifrrmts wnoil imr/itill)/ silicijicit. — This sliows layers of annual growth, and iiuilcr the microscope wood cells with cir- cular discs in one row and close to each other. The inednlary rays nrc numerous and have each about fifteen rows of cells. It belongs to the (^euiis I'cuie, of Wilhain, and Pinilis of tJoeppert, and closely resembles P. Ponilirnsiis, of the brown coal tormation of Silesia.f This would not, however, prove the furnmtion to bo tertiary since wood of very similar character • l^bit•tor. Journal i>r (ifologicul Si)ciLt)'. Vul. 11, f (jocpiiert, lUoiK'grn]i) .u ilea cuuil'uric. oenimin JiiriMHic tlepoiiti. Of llio mutJurii pinex with whitli I have eiiinparcd it, il most rcteiiiblcs thi! Hulaam Fir. Abu» 1)111.1(1 mm. McGill Collegp, January, 1!», IH.'iO. J. W. DAWSON. Tiie coal of the norlh-wrxl, ns I have already ntatcd, may be cither tertiary or cretaceous. Il occurs in numerous localities all over the L'real ren;ion iMnabetwceii the bell of silurian riicku ,iiiil the l(oek\ ,Moiiiiiain>, ami farsoiah into the I'liitcd States. ."iir .lohn ItiehanUon savs thai tertiary coal liirmatioiis occnr on the llanks of till' Koeky Nionulains, ihe most houlherly one liciii); ill the Katiiii i'.iss, in lalituile ;I7" lo' N,, luiifiilude, liU'';l.j' \V., and iipwarils of seven thousand leo taliove the level of the -ca. Leaves of ilieoly — Icdenous trees obtained in these beds by l.icntenanl .Vherl, in l>>17, are lifiured in Colonel Kinory's licporl lo (/'undress, (pp. j:i:i-.'i 17. ) Nultal observed lijjiiile beds associated with pink eoloincd pipe-clay on the Arkansas, near the |Sih p uallcl. .Sir Alexander .Mckeii/ic stales thai a narrow siripe of marshy, linu^jy. and uneven (ground, prodncinjj, coal and liilniiicn, runs alon^ the eastern base of the Uoeky .Miinntains, and he speeilics latllmle •ili'' N., lon;;iluile IIJ.J'' \V., on the soulhern branch of the .Saskalchewan, ami latiludo .'ili'' N., lont;iluile IIH^ W., (I'.d^ie coal Crcekj In the Peace llivcr, as places where coal beds are e\poseil. Mr. llrummond's specimens of coal with its associated rocks al Kdmonton, (latitude o-'!'' l.'i' N., lontjilnile 1 lo'^ liO' \V.,) on the north branch of the Saskatchewan, and conscipieiilly bclween the placis men- tioned by Sir .Mcxaniler .Mel\cn/.ie. Accordiiif; to Mr. Itriim- inond the coal was in beds varyiu}; in thickness tiom six inches to two feet, and interstralilied with clay and sandstone. The samples he selected were precisely similar to the slaty and con- ehoidal varieties which arc found at tlu' moulh of the ^;real IJtar Kiver, and the resemblance In iwceii the sandstone of tlie two localities is eipmlly dose, lie also tiiunil a black tertiary iiitch coal which breaks into small conehoidal and cubical fra<;nients, which .\lr. Small, a Clerk of the Hudson's l!ay Com[iauy, who ijave the liist inliirmation of these beds, likened well to Span- ish liipiorice. .\t iMlmontoii the more slaty coal beds pass gra- iluallv into a thin, slaty, friable saniisione, which is much ini- prci^'iiateil with earbunaecoiis matter, and contains fraiiincnts of librons lignite. Hand specimens cannot be dislinjiuished from others pilhered Irom the sliale elilfs on the ,\rthaliask.'i llivcr. Ili^hlv biluminiscd shale, cousideralily indurated, exists in the vicinity of llie coal at Kdmonton, and clay iron-stones occur in the clay beds. Coal beds have been observed on lire on the Smoking Uiver anil near i)iinvegan mi the I'eace Kiver.'' {.lournal of a Moat, Vovage throut;h Kiiperl's Land. Hy Sir J. llichardson, 1S51 ; vol". I, p. 107.) Tlu; silurian specimens from Luke Winnipeg and Winn'- pciroos include, several species which are new to science, but as belbro describiii^ them il would be advisable to procure a greater miinbcr, in order to makt! the delinitions as complete as possible, 1 shall not notice them lurlher than to nuote from Mr. .lones' letter what ho says about the Liperditia from Luke Winnipegoos : "(JKoLoiiKAi, Survey, Somkhset Hih'se, '• Loiuloii, January 5, lSo9. " My Deah Sih, — The little Lciirrililiii received in your let- ter, which Clinic to hand on t!'.^; rmr.l, is dislincl Iroiii itiiy species I have yet seen. In general liirin it resembles t'jllliiropsis con- cinna Ann, and mag N. II. li scr., vol. I, pi. 10, (igs.J and 1 ; i bill it is a trill! LrpcrdiHit, and is live or six limes larger. It is I one of iho narrowest and most eylindrical ot the Leperditia \\vM I know. Cyliiidracea would not be an inapt term if you like to use it. " Yours very truly, "J. U. JONES." My time 1ms been so much occupied with other work, that I have not been able to give all the specimens in the collection the attcutiuii they deserve. iShuulJ any more be procured and sub- 10 niittod to mi', I shnll endpiwor In t'u nlnh n rrport fhnt will In- rjiuli' nut oiiiv llii'iii lull llnwc nl' If.' vc'iir''* cnlii'i'ii'm, wliicli liavo mil yvl lircii ili ■icnliiMl. It Wdiill lu' well lur tlir |irii|irrsH ol >r<'"l"liy it nil rx|ihir('is Wciiilil i ikf at iiimli I'.il'i' in pn- dorviiifj iIk' jncalilii'" nC llicir »|'ii'iiiirii>' as ymi havi- iloiii-, lif- caiise il I'liaMi's us u> liwvitli icrliiiiily lln' i;o(it'ra|ililc'al pcisitiiiii of lliK oiitcrops . A liw >urli |>imiin wi'II CNtrt'llislii'il liiTd and llii'iv llir.iiii;liimt, a laiiir ivu'ioii siicli an that cl'tlic N.irlh-wcst. arc in ei\veeii llio western eiltio of llie Silurian licll and a 'uie passiri;; lliroiii;li u puinl ir>0 miles west of I'orl (iiurv, and numin;; U(irlli-«i'-.t and soulli- east.'' And recMiruiueliils tlial lliis uiterue'diale l)elt l)elweeii the siluri-in and eretaccous f Min.ilions should lie sahniiltecl lo a very careiid ireol.>t;ie:d invesliLMlU'ti. Now, as I have iicd'ore slatecl, llie lii.lians report coal on the Duidc MounI liii, TliMiider Mountain, and i,ii lied Dec r lliver, preidsely in tlie Irael wliieli is reconiinended for investi;:ali'in. On the I liitk Mniiiitaiii, fspeciidlv, they say it I'xists ui place and in lari,'e cpiaiititjes. I think, therefore, tiiat it would ho advisahle that ii practical f,'e settler the peculiar inlvanlat'cs of both, free from the di'-advantages arising from the exclusivaring the facilities lor settlemeut olll'ied by prairie lands anil wooded countries respectively ; such a comparison can be best approxi- mated l)y reducing the matter lo tigures as far as possihle. " In some respects this will be easily done. .Sorne of the dilFl- cullies |)resented by woodlands are very tangible, and the cost they occasion is well known, and hy (^numer.iliiig them on the one side of the account of coiofiarison, we shall lie heller able lo see how far, on the other hand, the sujierior facility of obtain- iiig wood lor fuel and fencing will go to balance the expense or losl labor they occasion. "The lirst and most obvious cause of expense, in money,or labor is the necessity of clearing oil' the wood betore the land can be even imperfectly ciillivated, the average cost o( which is three pounds live shilling's an acre, hut as the .stumjis still remain, an outlay of twenty-live shillings an acre may be set down as to be incurred alterwards in gelling rid of them. Where the stumjis are of pine or the land stony, the cost will he much greater. " In general, pine slumps, if removed at all, will cost at least live shillings a piece, and some will cost twenly-live shillings. " We have here as one item, at least four |)ounds ten shillings an acre of cxjiense, to be incurred on account ol the wood before the land can be brought thoroughly under the jilough. This is the cost to those who can pay lor the labor ol' skilled back- n woodsmen, nccu»tnmril to tho u»n of thn nxc, who cin do twice Hi iiiiicli i>r tlmt liiiid iil wurk lU iId^ i'iiiit;riitil>i Iriiin Kili'iipe, I'Veli iIi'iukIi ai'ciisliiiiicil In oilier I(Imi>r. I'll llie liinii lalioii er rriiiii (ir^'iit lirilitin, ulmse liiiie iiuil IiiiIiih- try, ir a|i|illi'il III iIji eiilliviiljiili nl liiMiiie Liliil, wmilil lie even lliciie Viililiilili' llliin lliiil iilllie li;iil(Wi"iilhilliii:;s an acre. I do not hero -tpeak of the value Hliieh their lahnnr in clearing wiiiiM cm anil. \ii one Wiiiilil t,'ivc lliein -inch ii liriic (iir it, I uin s|iiakiiit; '»!' (ho vuluo 111' the hilior uiiiivoidably lo.-t by them on iicconiit nC the woods. " Here \v(! Iiiivo then, to a family clunrinKn fiinn of a hnndied ncrcM ill ten or lifteeii yearH, a lo^s of tivu hundred and liliy IHiuiid.-* on accdiint of the wnuds. "The iclilcr i'X|)eiiils all this, and ten or lilleen years of the best of his hie, in loilHiune slniK^'les to convert iiis I'arm iiilii such pro|>orlioiiN of open anil woo lid land as the Miller on the partiv woiiihd (iraiiie lands 'iiiili his when lir«t he noes to it. The latter can adopt a rciruhir .system of cultivation tm years Kooncr than the other, lie can jiiit as iiau h land under the pliiniih, Iliid reap the fruit of il mhiii alter ciiiniiicnciiuf, as the i'oriiier can do alier tell or lilleen years of crnshiin; toil in clear- ing land, which necessarily cinisiiiiied much t.iiie which he Would gladly have devoted to more extensive cultivation, and raisitig larger crops, had the woods not lieeii an oligliucliipii to his doing so, It is true he has had plenty of woo I liir luel and fencing during the interval, so iiinch so that he has had to liiiiii up twciitv limes as much as he was alile to use in any tbriii. llut it would lie in the nlMUist degree absurd to suppose that he has liciiclilteil ihereliy to the value of live hiimlied and filly pounds lieyoiid the settler on the prairie Ian. is, for he, also, iius bad Wood ciiongli to serve his purposes, though he has not been iili'ccted with such abundance of it, and has li.id, perhaps, u greater distance to draw it. " It must be borne in mind, however, that settlers, in a great part of the country under cniisideralion, in the partly wooded regions, and near the streams where a luxuriant growth of Wood extends, sometimes a mile, or even two miles in depth along them, would enjoy every advanlaL'e of a wiunled country. "To recur to the labor of clearing land, I have already explained that it is tw ice as great to the inexperienced, even though accustomed to other kinds of hard laliur, as to llic native backwoodsman, llut how is il with the cinigrant who has never been inured to labor, the unfortunate man of business, or pro- fessional man, the man who has lived hitherto in b ulily ease by 81)1110 .sedenlarv occupation, and is perhaps advaiice.l in hie, but is forced by ncce.ssity to make a Imme in the h.ick woods ! (low does he get along with the heavy woods.- When he goes up to attempt to fell a heavy tree, as thick as a liogshcad, and as tall as a steeple, his heart ninst sink wiiliin him. He can make no more impression on it than a child, but yet it and others must be chared away bclore he can raise the barest suslenince lor himself ami family. To him the idearing of a lann is painful and tedious toil, reipiiring the exercise of the utmost fiirlitiide. What a relief il would be to liirn to be tiansporlcd to a prairie settlement, near the banks of some wnoded stream. How light the toil of raising the necessaries of life woiiM be when relieved from the heavy additional labour of clearing tin" forest. " Is it at all surprising then that so many Kiiropean emigniiits should pass through Canada to seek the prairie lands of the United States, wdiere they can proceed at once with the regular cultivation of the land, in which many of them are well skilled, wiUiuut uuUcrguiug the piotract«d toil of clearing land, to which Ihpy nrn tmccustomud ,' Even old and NiieQeHHlul aettlnrii in (hinadii have, to my porKoiuil knowledge, found it inucli to their advallta'je to do so. " .\nd Would It not be desirable that iinr own prairie hinds slionlil be thrown open 'o tlielii by ll slalilislinuni of an ef- licii'iil line III comiiiimiealioti, and by the eoinmenceiueiit of llie orgaiii/alioii and survey of lands lor sale and Helllemenl within the terriloiy under eoiisidrralioii I '■ Hut there is another heavy charge to enter in the neeoiinl of eomparis m ajain^t setllemenl in wooded countries. That is the olislriiclion o'lr dense jiirests present lolhe sjiread of srille- iiieiit,aiid the expense that has I i he incurred in inaKing roads through ihem. •' We have aliiind.ince of vacant fertile lands, but how diftl- eiilt il is togi'l at lliein, and who can ihiiibt llnit ihoy would be rapidly settled upon if ii v.cre not hir the want ot roails ihrongh the fori si to let llie selllers ill. ll t.lki's an expindiliire of more than a limidred pounds a mile to make a road through the woods us passable ii« llie nalural surface of the prairie by tho iiinuiiierable ronles it oilers ; and, when a himdred pounils a mile is spent in making a road through oiir hiresis, it gives ai ss only to Ihe land immediately on the sides of it, '|'he moment the sciihrs slrike from it to reach lands in the back coiiressioii the obstacle is HLjaiM encountered, and the ex- pense of opening the roads coinmcnees anew. It is a mode- rate caleiiialion to say lliiil for every scpiare mile ol forest coiiiilry sellled, an expense ill money or labor of £10(1 has to be incurred iillimalely in making roads, or, what is wors", the settlers have to endure, in liards|ii|i and diHieiilly of commutli- eatioii, a much ureater loss from tin. wat.t of iliem " Here ai;ain the practical man only can duly appr ciate the niagiiiliide of the obstacle and Ihe expeii-e it entails; I sprak troiii having I n engaged in spending abniit hirly tlioiisand poiiiiils in making roails Ihrough wmideil (•ciiuilries. "I'iie fuels I have meniioiied may assist in showing more ill liiiilely the loss, or eo.st o| the obslruetiolt, wliiidi the forests in wooded eoimiries eiilail upon the setller, in companson with which the value of the dil''"reiice of facility in obtaining woimI hir luel and fencing, will lie found to be insii,'iiilicaiit wliere such dilference dues exist, wliii ll it evideilllv docs not in a great part ol the mixed prairie and woodlands ol the territory under consideration, ll is ohvious, iherelore, that this diiliTcnce does not in any considerable degree hslaiice the superior ad- vantages presenled by the prairie lands for immedialc and ex- tensive eiillival ion. with freedom from heavy and diflicult labor 111 clearing the land. " Hut llie dillienlly of access lo this territory may be men- tioned as an ollsel lo the fai'ilities which it oilers lo settlers. I'hc briefest consideralioii, however, will make it apparent thai the cost to selllers of getting into il, even by ordinary land travel, uoiilil loriii but a small part of the live hundred and liny pounds to he sunk, as already mentioned, in the addilion.d toil of clearing even a small farm in a wiiodcd country. " Hut il may be said that the territory is remote, and that the expense ol o|)ening a line of communication, partly by ordi- nary land loads, lo eonnect the navigable waters available, and partly by improving the hitler, through siu h an extent ol nninliabiled, and parlly iminliahitable, cuiinlry would be so gn'at, compared w itii the cost ol opening up our unoccupcd territories much nearer Imme, as tube a serious objecliim on the score of economy against the seilleiiieiit of llie country. " Now, lar from this liidng triii , the very reverse is the case, and the fuel of ils being so is one of the sinmgest points in I'.ivor of this territory. As to our unoeeiipied lands near home, their capacity is insignificant as compared with that of this region. Two-thirds ol their extent at least are until for sclllei.ient, and a great part of the reiuainiiig third is far inferior in h'rtility. From llie obslriuliim which their wooded charaelcr. as before explained, preseiHs to road making, it will' lake ten times the outlay in roads, cither by (.loviriiinent or the settlers, to render the available lands they contain accessible for setllemenl, that would bu required to upeu a commuaicatiou with Kud llivcr. 23 Ami lliiii pliin- unci- tDiiclicil ilic wlioN- uf oiir wr-iii'm pniirif Irrritorio, frniii ilicir ii|ii'm clmriulrr, wmilil Iw ii»iuTrH!<>rinii(i' wlmli'Vcr wliii-li run 1)11 iiililiicril ii^iiiiinl tliin trrrilory, iin mm iiilviinlii^ruiH lii'M Mr ininiriliiiii' Nt'iili'tiii'tii, \» itn r('tiiii|<'iii"'N fniMi liny iiiiirki'l fur il» |iriiiliir(<. 'I'liis is iin nlijiTliuii wliiili no |Miioli(Mil rni\n cmilil nvciiiHik. Il iiii|){>i'n'<, Imvvrvi'r, lliiit ilx viiliii' run 111' ii-^'i-rliiinril with lolciiililf iici'iiniry liy iiiruMiirciiiriit U|iiiti llii' iniip. Ily tliiil it will III' 'eer River and Swan Itiver, other circumslai s being the same, should beeipial lo that of Ihe Red River Settlement. IJiit I am of opinion that it is superior, inas- much ns that these rich valleys, while liny are at hut a vi'ry slight elevation above the valley of Red River, are removed from the inlluetice of the cold winds from Lake Winnipeg, which piejudicially alCect the latter in the spring. .As an instance of Ihe change of climate which is prcduced by the diffor- ence of elevation in this region, I may mention that Ihc M'jjeta- tion, in the middle ol .hiiie, was iiiueh furlher mlvanced in the valley of Swan River than at Fort I'elly, which is somedislance further to the south, but at a greater altitude! by some 'lOO feet. While on this subject, I ijilole from Mlodiret's climatology some of his remarks on the climate of the norlh-wesi territories, whi(di 1 am confident will be read with interest. " Ry reference to the iUu-stration of the distribution of heat we see that the cold at the north of the great lakes does not represent the .same lalituile further west, and that beyond them the thermal lines rise as hi^h in latitude, in most ca.ses, as at the west of Europe. Central Russia, the Baltic districts and the British Islands, are all rejiroduced in the general structure, though ihe exceptions here fall against the ndvantage, while there they favor it, through the immediate influence of the Gulf Stream. " Climate is undisputably the decisive condition, and when 28 \V(« firiil llin iHOllii'iiiiiil iiflill ' lor \\m lUrnmiT riiin^ iiii llii< iiitis ri«>r Aiiii'riciiii iilaiim In llic litnt |iitriklli-l, or lully ut lli^'ll iih Iin a\iiii>iliiiii I"" l'!iiro|)i', it Im iiii|io'<.'4ililii ic> iloiilil llic CXiRlrtlci' ol rnvli' clilllali'M ovor vust Ikri'llH now IIMoi'ril|iii'il. " TliM ruvoriilili' ivnn|i:iiiRoii iimy Ih' trucril |nr ilir winlrc nliio, mill ill i|ir uvcniKi'i liir llin ynir. i'lio rxrc|iiioii;i| imIiI of tint iiiiilllitiiiii |iliil<':illN, ilii'l ol' llii' i!iiii'|ii'oai'li IIichii ari'iin Iroiii llm winli'iii |iiiil ol' llir Criilritl SiitliN, unil Iroiii llir riiiiNt ol Calirnriiia ; lull tlioii<;li llir ilitliiirt iiiiiiinlaiii niiium ri'iii:ilii IhuIi .'iI iIik imi'lli, till' wiillli of tlii'ir liiiii', or ol tin' |ilatomi Iroiii v^iiicli liny rise, is itiiii'li Ii'nn lliiin iit tlir I'JikI |iiirulli'l. 'I'l IrviiliMJ Irarit an- of IciH rxlunl, itllil thii pr()|H)r- timi ol I'lilliviilili' Mirlai'i' l^ far urrali'r, " It will lit' snli lliat llii; lliiTiiial iiiii'N fur nai'li NcaHol) arr tlirowii iiiirtlnMiiil fiirlliiT on |Misiim; l.iiko Sii|n'rior wi'KUvaril, ill |Ih> rliaii!< of tills wmk, than in tliiiii' iif Oir iiiililary ri'|iorl |iru|iari'il liy tlii^ iiiillioi', .\l till! tiiiitt llinsc wi'n* ilrawii tlii' miiiilii'r ol llii' olMirv.itioiis Ih-muhI iIic IIiiiIIh ol tli« riiitril Slalfi vvrri' so !iiii\x opinn oiialily he some iliinlit as to the siillieieiiey ; ainl iloiilils on the point whether the ileserl lii'll of lower latltiiiles is prolou^eil to the northern limit ol the plains. If the lower ileserts mr iliie lo the altitude ami mass of the tnountallis simply, it would be nalur.il to infer their existome nlohK the whole line, where the Itoeky MoiintaiiiH run paiullel, aliil retain their iiltitnile ; liut Uie dry ureas are evidently due to other <'auses primarily, iiiiil llifi) are not found above the iTth jHiralld in fuel. It is decisive of the general question of the sullicieney of rain, to lind tin' entire surface of the upper plains either well grassed or well woisleil; and recent information on theHu |ioints almost warrants the assertion that thi're are no barren traels of eoiiseiiiienee after we pass the had lands, nnd the eoteaiisol the Mus.souri. Many portionsof these plains are known Id he peciiliarlv rich in grasses; and prnhalily the (inest tr.iets lie nhin^ the eastern base of the moiinlnins, in positions corres- pundiiiK lo the most ilesert-like of the plains at the south. The higher latilniles certainly dilFer widely from the plains which stretch from the I'latte southward to the IJiino Kstaeado of Texas, iiiid nunc of the references made lo them hy residents or travellers indicate desert characteristics. Uufl'alo are far more abundant on the northern plains, and they remain throut'Ji the winter at their exlieme border, tukinL; sheller in the belts of woinlland on the upper Athabasca and Peace Rivers. Grassy savannas like these iieeessarilv imply im iideipiate supply nf rain ; luid there can ho no iloulit that llu- correspondence with the Kuropeun plains in like geographical nosilion, — those of eastern (iermany and Russia, — is (|uile ooiiiplete in this respect, If II diH'ereiico exists, it is in favor of the American [ilaiiis, which have a greater propurtiun of surface waters, biilh as lakes and rivers." After rcinarkiii({ on the region virest of tlie Rocky Mountains, he goes on to say — " Next is the area of the plains cast of the Rocky Mountains, not less remarkable than the first for the absence ot attintion heretofore given to its intrinsic value as a productive and culti- vable region, within easy reach of emigration. This is a wedge ehaped tract, ten degrees of longitude in width at its bikse along the 47th parallel, inclined norlli-weslword to conform to the trend ofihe Itoeky Moinitainii, and (enniiinliiiK not likr from the I'lOth par illel in a narrow line, whieli Ntill exteniU along the Maeken/.ie for three or fiiir ilegreen of liitlliide. In a ehmiile biirely liilerable. I.oril Selkirk began his iD'orls at eiiloiil/,alion here* as early ns iHO.'i, iiml from personid knowledge lie then elaiined for 'his lr,.et a ciipaeity to mipporl thirty iiiillioiis of m- hahilanis. All the gr.tini of the eoul temperate latitudes are lirodiii'i'd abuiidiinlly — Indian corn tniiy he grown on both briMiehes of the SaHkaleliewiin, and the grass of llie plains is singularly ahimihint and rich Not only in the earliest explura- lion of these plains, but now, they are the great resurl liir biiU'alo herds, whieh with the iloineHtie herds, and the hiirses of the Indians and the eulnnists reiimin on tliein ikliil at thoir woodland borders throughout the year. 'i'he Hiinple fact of the priseiiee of these vast herds of wild laltle on plains at so hi;;li a latitude, is ample proof uf the cli- matiilogieal ami prodiiilive capaeity of the eoiinlry. OJ thw jiliiin.i, anil lltiir irihidldnil Itordiriiylhi rnluahle nurjarr nuuminii liillij ftee liiiiiilieil Hiitiinanil sijiiare tnileit."' I'll the aliove I may add, that the talented aiillior in Ilia isiithermal chart, shewing the mean distribution of heal fin' Ihc snininer, places the line of IIO" to the norlh of the Lake of the Woods, iinil that of tl.l" at Fort Harry. The same aiilhorily gives a simimer of U.> days te Toronto, and of IM) to tJumber- land House, in lalilnde fii^' north, the extreme iiorlhern limit of the region to whieh my deseriplioiis reli'r. On proeeedim; to the siailh-eastward fniiii lied River, the eli- iinile gradually beeoiiies eoliler and more rainy. That a great pri eipilation of rain takes pliiee at and near the high hiinls whieh sepiirate the waters Ihiwing to I,iike U'ionipig from tlioso whieh run towards Lake Superior, is evinced by the iiiagiiitiide of the rivers, as eompared with the area whieh they dr;iin. The climate, however, seems to be milder on the western slope ol these high lands than on the eiisterii. On the I'Jih and l;Jlh of Seiilember we passed from Lac des Mille Lacs to Uog River, and found a marked dlll'erenee in the progress of the season, notwithstanding the shortness of the dislanei'. .At Mille Laes the tender foliage of the poplars near the water had just begun to change, bin the Hoods in their general aspect were as green as in siinmier ; while on Dog River, the rich tints of imluinn appeared on the hill sides, and the rustle offiilliiig leaves indicated how severe the weather hud been on the easttrn, as coinpareil with the Western declivity. In closing my remarks on the climate, ' would say that, as a general rule, the season during which as;rienlliirnl operations can be carried on at Red River, is .somewhat longer than in Canada, east of Kingston, while in winter the cold is more intense, although not uniformly so, than in any part of Canada west of Three Rivers. In regard to salubrity, there are no diseases, so far as I could leain, incidental to the eonntry. Ague is imknown, and a |)opnlation more heallhy than that of the Red River Settlement cannot be met with anywhere. THE RKD 1{IVKR SETTLKMKNT. So mnch has been written in respect to this settlement, that I need notice it but very briefly. In doing so, h.iwever, I .shall eiuUavoiir to correct some misapprehension respecting the people of mixed origin, v.liieh might arise from the accoinils dis- seminated regarding them. The settlement connncnccs about ten miles above Lake VVin- ni|)eg, and extends to the south for so'uc fifty miles along the Red River, and to the westward for about st venty miles on the Assiiiiboine, there being, however, a long inlcrxal on the latter river, between the White Horse Plains and the Prairie Portage without any settlers, The iiopiilalion. by a census taken three years ago, was .seven ihousand, but including the settlers at the Prairie IVnlage, and the people who mostly live uboiit Red River, without any li.xcd habitation, it may now amount lo some ten thuusand individuals. The inhabitants of the lower section are moiily Indians, those *J,t the Red Rivor ijottlomeat ueor tho KOtli puallel. 21 'of the middip pnrt chiefly retired traders and voyaneiirs, or descendi!nl.s of the first Seotch acttlera broiijjht out i)y Lord Si'l- kirk ; while the upper purt is nliiiost exclusively peopled bv n rnce of mixed oriitin, descended from the French Cunuilian vovngeurs, and ihc native Indians. That ihc scttletiient shimld have advanced hut Hlowly is n the population of mixed ori- gin, or, as they ari usu.illy called, half-breeds, when it is con- sidereil that they are the dcseeiuhinls of hunters and voyageurs, that their fathers either lived by the chasi? or led a Me of rov- ing and adventure, ih .'onder will be that they have settled down so (piieily, and evince such a tendency to exchange the wild freedom of Indian life for the dulness of a settled home i and the quiet humanities of civilization. i As they live at [in-senl they generally g.ow enough for their ; own use, and they are possessed of cattle^ sheep, and horses which demand some measure of allenlion ; but llicy have also Iheir hunting seaj.-ons, and after the crops are .sown in spring, i and when tlu-yare harvested in the fall, tiiey form into bands and seek the pleasures and the dangers of the chase. Generally, they go s .iithwe^lward to the plains of ihe f'hfyenne or the Ciileaus of the Missouri. In these long marches they are re- gularly organized, under Ihe direcliou of ollieers duly elected to command. On seeing the butfalo, which usually go in large herds, they form into line and ide on al n hand g illop, until, at u word given by their leader, they dash forward among the ; I bewildered nnimals, firing ind loading from on horseback, with the most amazing rapidity. Sometimes the bulls give liattle, and it not unfiecpienlly happens that horse and rider are rolled on the ground. They have, however, inon; terrible enemies lo , encounler in the .Sioux Indians, who hang on llu ';' pilli, wilh the view of possessing ihemselves of the »cal|> of any unfor- lunale slraggler who happens to separat)w llii'y follow it as all'ording an agri'cable occupation, and an adjunct to their means of subsistence. With the produce of their farms they could not always obtain clolhing, or Ihe little articles of h.xuiy, such as lea and tobacco, which are indis- pensable even lo them ; Inil wilh pemican and Hutralo meat they can, lor these are always in demand at Ihe Hudson's liay Coiiipanv's stores ; so that hunting, after all, is a necessity of their situation as much as a passion. Hut even if it were the lalli'r, that is thai tiiey could not resist the lemptalion ; make the circumstances eipial, and I (lueslion if lliey would be found to diller iiiucli in this respi'ct from more civilizi^d eoinmuiiities. -\nd 1 doubt wlielhcr there is a community so scdale, as lo ol ihcir liiili iii aiici'slry, Ihc |)ciiditioii, may he j^athcrcd Iroiii ilie jollowin^ rciiiark'* ol' the liisliop ol' Uii- |)crl's Land in his " Notes of the Klood." Alter reiiiarkiim on the imincdiatc distn'ss which the llood had eanscd, liis l.ord- sliip says : — "Tukint; il, iiowever, in another lit,'ht, and askiaijhow will the flooir home. Many are so connected that Ihcy li'cl il impossible lo li-ave. Their lamily ties are here, tin' family branches are spread over the land, and root ihemselves in its very soil. Now lo this we look as the strength and sinew of the connlrv : a popiilaliun contented and happy, I had almost saiil, proud of their land. The iiieicased facilities of intercourse arc also adding lo this gradual improvemenl. To be iMoin^hl inoie before the eye of others will inevitably have a benclicial ti'iideiiey. The llood of \%tfl will oeiaipy h far larger space in the public mind than that of ISlifi. Instead of a few solitary settlers, uidiiiowii and almost forgotten bv thi'ir fcllow-nicn, they nii> now parts of a iniglity .system, linlicd more closely by sympathy and interest lo other lauds." The importance of the lied Kiver Settlement will not fail lo strike those who have consicierod the subject of colonizing the region to the v^'cst Ihereol. Here is already a iuiclci;s where the wanl.s of settlers may be supplied in ihc (irsi iiistanec, and n popuhilin:; of ten thonsiind ready lo welcome them and give llicni ihe uilvHnt.igo of their experience. At present, it islriie, Ihal the people raise but lillle more than siilliccs for their own wants, bill let a demand arise and agriculture would soon be extended, anil wmild conlinui' to extend as that demand in- creased. 'I'd appreeiale the full value of this lillle colony, it needs but to be considered how vastly Ihe dillicully of inlrii- dilcing scltliiiicnl would be enhanced if il were not there. TIIR mn.SO.N'S MAYCOMl'AWS KSTAP.LlSiniEXTS. These cannot be passed over will. out some notice, in a des- cription of Ihc territory where they exercise so •;reat an inllil' ence. In noticing thcni, Iiowever, I shall eoiilinc my remarks 1 what was open lo observatinii, wilhoiil reference to Ihri political i|nesiions with which Ihcy may he associated, or tlio extent or naliire of Ihc tr..dc which is carrii'd on, as these aio sulijects bevond the scope of our instructions, and as, mon!- over, we could not with any degree of |)ropriciy h.ivc pried into the all'airs of a ('iiiiip;iin , whose rstablishmeiils were tlinnvii perh'cllv op;':i to lis, and whose hnspiialily wc no often expo- ricnci'd. The first place of any eonsei|iicnce on the lino of route is I'ort William, at the mouth ol the lvaniinistaipii;i, an islab- lishnicnl which derives peculiar interest Irmu its having bcMi at one period the gri'iil emporium of tlie ,\orth-wrst Coiiipany ol Caiiaiia. At one lime as many as three ihousand iicopje WC'C sonietiaies assenihled there, with rich loails ol ptdtrics I'roin 'he interior, or merchandise from Montn-al, but, since the amali;;nuatioii of the ('oiup.inies, the trade of the interior has been diverted to Iliiilsun's l!ay, and Fort William has lost much of its iinpor'ance. It is now the resideiico of a chief trader, and is still the centre of .1 cnnsiderabit; Irallic ill summer, Mr. Mcliilyrc, the gentleman in charge, having established lisheries which allord cmploymrnt to 11, number of people of mixed origin, who have" settled ,1 lillle hi^dier up on the Ivaministaipiia. To Mr. Mclntyre the v.u-ious brain lies of the expedition have been rcpeitedly indebted, not only for his kind welcome and hosnitality, but for his readi- ness in snpplving canoes and much of \\w material rcipiisite for ihc.iouii.,'y across the country tolled Hlvcr, and, latterly. In- has done what lay in his power to aid the mail contrnctors in for- wardin.; the mails to Fort (larry. Fort Frances, the next estahlishmcnt on the naitr, is situated at Itniny Falls, in the very heart of the SaiiltcMX coimlry, but it docs not .seem now to bo a place of so great impor- tance as it doiililless was \,licn the trade of the interior passi>d that way. 'i'lic ollieeis at thispist, Mr. I'clher, Mr. Cliatelains, a'lil others, were always very kind and obliging. The next post is at Uat I'orlage, but it is ipiitc a small estab- lishment as compared with the others. Fort Alexander, at the mniitli of ih > Winnipeg, the next in order, is Ihc residence of a chief faclor, but the trade lo which it once owed its importance is now, I l)clieve, diverted to lied Ilivcr. The Stone Fort, or Lower Fort tiarry, on the Red tliver, is by far the liuest eslablishmcnt In the territory. A sipiarc area id' some .six acres in extent is enclosed with walls acd bastions of stone. \Vilhiii ihis enclosure are the Company's buildings, all of them most sabsl niiial cdilices of sUme. The stores are situ- ated on cither side, and in the centre stands the ivsidenee of the ollieers, a verv imposing building, with verandahs running coinpli lely round it, and grounds in front laid oil' and planted w itli Kfcat tasle. This eslahlishincnt is in cliar:;c of Mr. Lilly, a sminu geiillenian from Seollaiul, who, in adililioii to his duties as a trader, carries on extensive farniing opcralions. List spring he brought a considerable extent of new land uniler cnllivalion. I'pper Fort Garry, sitiiateil ai the coiinue.icc of Ihc Red River and ,\ssiniboine, is a similar establishment, except that the space enclosed is not ipiile so lar;,'e, and that there arc a ■n'catcr number of buildings. This is the resilience of the chief factor of Ihe district and liovcrnor of Assiniboinc. Here, also, iho nil ,iry are quartered. It is llu^ principal comtv.c-cial empo- S6 rium of tlie srtllcitiont, and ponpli* of nil slindrs, from tlin dusky lii(lini) of llic pliiiiis, 1(1 llir tiiir cnMiplcxidncil nnlivi- of tin- llcbiiilcs, niiiy I"' c' iil! iil llicsi- in prcvi'iiis ri'pinls. Dm nllccliii^ tliiil t-iurc tlif :iiii;il;,';iiimli(iii ol Iho Nurlli-wi-st CiiMipmy of Ciiiiiida witli llic lliiilson's U ly ('iirii|i:iiiy, wlii-ii they Ix'C'.imc one under the liiUer title, sueli (••iliddisliniciit-i li;.\e Ijradiinljy spnvid over liiilf a < agenty of suprriiir manaucmenl, and 1 am of opinion that the success of the united Companies is as nmch dm' to the hi;,'h talent of the ollicers who have the direction of their all'iirs, as a) other circiinistaiici s to which it Is more frc(|ucnll iiitrilnil'd ; and there can be no doidit that the same jnd^'ii 'nl, care, and fcoiiomy brought to bear on any pursuit, woulil meet with a very inurked measure of success. THE NATIVE IXHIANS.— WHETHER THEY WOULD BE LIKELY TO OIM'OSE COLONIZATION, &c. In ronsidrrinp; the project of colonizing the region to the vest of Ked Kiver, the (|nestion naturally suL'gests it-ell' as to wbelher settlement wonid he likely to be opposed by the native population, and whether if opposition arose, it would be of a formidable eharaeler. Sottlepiint wotdd in the first instaiico sprea'l over tlie terri- tory which, with a soil widl adajled for its dev(dopi;ent, was at the same time the most easy (d access ; and, in this respect, the valley (if the Assiniboin.', and the country borderin;,' on the Alanitoidia and \Vinnipegoos Lakes, and their various feeders, woidd be the first to lill up; and throughout the greater part of thisextcnsive region, even in iis present stale, a settler would be ns safe as in the backwix.ds of Canada. The AssiniKoino in one part of ilscour-e, that is, between the Uapid Kiver and Itrandon House, touches on the Sioux coimlry, but upon the whole I think, with respect to this, the only part of the country under consideration where there is any danger of moh s:alion lioin Indians, the accouuis of their power and disposition to do harm are very iinich exaggerated. Takini; the region to wliicdi my descriptions more particidarly refer, the Indians arc not inorf! nunicrons than they are in some other parts of Canada, and with ordinary precnnlion nodan^jer need be appndiendcd Irom them. Tarllicr to the west, on the South Hranch of the Saskatchewan, the Hlaekf(M)t Indians arc said to be numerous and warlike, but, as their intercourse with the whites ineieases, their habits will no doubt change as those of other Indians have changed, and, judging from similar cases, it is but reasonable to suppo-e that er(! settlement reaches them they will have censed to b.j dangerous. On the north branch of ih" Sakatcdinwan, near Fori's I'iti and Ivlnionton, the Indians arc numerous, but from all I could learn I Ixdievc they arc peaceably disposed. I!y this ninlelhc traders pass to and from the Columbia and the Pacific, and even emigrants have passed with their liimilics without ex|.cri'ncing the siglilest inoleslalion. 'i'hal the Indians arc diminishing in numbers in the region iniiiiedialtdy to the westward of Kcd River does not admit of a doubl. Hut there is one pleasing ciriMnnstance connceled with Iheir partial disappearance, am' that i« that they have to n certain extent arnalgainati-d with the whiles. The population of origin tluis mixed in the lied River Settjemcnt, and in the country drained by the Assiniboino and Lit'de Sasknichowan, cnnnot 1)0 less than six or seven thousand, wdiicli, taken to- ;.'elher with the remaining natives of unmixed descent, is per- haps as great n number as ever oeenpied the territory. To the eastward of Red River, at the Lake of "the VViMxls and Rainy River, the Indians are said to lie inereasin;{ of late yea.s, and from all I could see, or learn, I li(di(-\e this to be the ee .e. And, as llicy occupy the eountrv through whiidi any line ol communieation between Lake Superior and Red River must pass, it b'-comes of the iiiiuost importantai to ascertain every particidar regarding them, to cidtivate a good understanding, and take such measures as would prevent Hio po.ssibi- lily of a collision with then. Tliev arc still in a slate of primilive barbarism. Missionaries liive been aiuong them treqnenlly, but have never stieccedcif in tnaking nimdi impres- sion upon them, in the way of leading fliem to embrace Chrislianity. Their habits an I customs are probably \h" same as ihey were at the lime the lir.^t Canadian traders penetrated into the country. Every spring, on the ope;iingo( ti.e naviga- tion, they assemble at Fort Francis to C(d( brate the Dog feast and Scalp d.ince common to all the tribes in thi.i direction. .\s many as ."lOO, I have been told, simelimes assemble together on llirse oiensions. Some of th. Ill come from Rc'' Lake, within the Fnited States boundary, otlpis fr nil I'.al Rurliigi!, the Lake of the Wools, Rainy Like and Lac des "ois lilanirs. Sir George Simpson estim.ilest'ie cntirv." popul.ition as follows : Fort Frances l,,50t) Fort .Mi^xander SIX) Rat Portage, 500 White Dog 1(H) Lac (III Roiini 1 50 Lac des Hois lilancs, 200 Shoal Lake 'Lac Plat), 200 2,850 Hilt this, I suppose, do'S not include those who come from tlio Fnited States side. Nevertheless, when tl.e extent of country over whi"li this population is spicad is considered, it cannot be considere(l very great even liir an Indian popuhition. Hut it is deserving of attention that the fiel of Iheir having abundance (if food at certain seaso'is enables them to e dleet in numbers sufliciently great to be formidable if inclined to be troublesome. Sir John Richard.son, who pissed several times through their coimlry, describes llieui as being " saney, and independent of the Hud--on's Hay Company, from the fact lh.it they have aliiin- dance of sturgeon and gnat (pianiitiesof w ild rice, .so that they can feed thcius(dves without having recairs- to the supjilics of ammunition or clothing wiili whieli the Hudson's Ha;, Com- pany supply their Indians." This is the case, and I may add ihat their country is lolerably ri(di in fiirs for wlii(di, being near the frontier, they get a high price either from ilie Hudaon'siUay Company, or from the .\iueric.in fur traders. They a.-e certainly of an independent, and I should say unmanageable disposition; and their natural ferocity is not les- sened by their constant wars with iIk; Sioux Indians, on the conliiHs of the great prairies, to which everv branimimi'r Now, iidiiiillins; lliiii llifjr |ii\'M-nl piicilic (li-'jir iliuii >IihiiI(I ciinliniii', and lliiil II iri'iUy wen- niiiiii- with iIumi liy wlilcli tlicy siidulil ni{ri'(! In ri'liiKpiiNli a ci-iliiiii imrlinn of lln'ir liimls, it is Ntill to be considi'icd lliiit in inlrodiKtinL! a mixed iiss. iiil)liii;e of cnlo- iii!erved of llie (haiaeter of these Indians, iHul alier tnaturtdy ronf iderinj; iho suhjecl, I am ■•onvineed that the mural tffrct which would hr prndxicnl htj Ihr incf'' pr' none of such a force would eirecliially prevent any act of viidi nee or a;,'res- sion on their j) ill, while, al the .same time, it would he a pro- Jei^lion lo thepi ajjainst ai,'ression on llie purl of Unruly uMllers ary lo movi> lli'iii, for llu'ir pre.scncc; ahaie would lie sullieient to ensmc iraiupiilily. In my hMter of ilii' ilsl .\ui;usl, IS.iS, from For! WilKam, I menlioneil t ;at I had had an inlerview with the S.aulleux Chiel'M al Fort Frances, the result of which was dial they accordeil their full prmissi.n lo examine the coiinlry, but reiiuesti'd that some pcisoii mii,'lil hi- st'ut to meet Ihcuioii theij' asseud)linj^ next sprini;, to explain the objeelsor the exp •ilitii.n, and whctlar il was intended to lake up any ol their lands for settleuit-nt, in which case they trusleil nolhip',' wadd he done until arranj^emeiils had bece made with lliern. At this inter- view they Were viry fi ii iidly, .iid I i,'ave iheiu a leller which I'cfjwis, the chief i.f the .Saul cux Indians al lied Kiver, hail l)repar>'d for me of liis own acc.rd, and cnli'dy misolicilclcii to luy advice, Viair Chief, ilio I'LGISF X mark. This h'tter 1 had read to them in their own lanmia;,'e, and it evidently proiluced a favourable impression, allhou^di ihey do not look upon I'Uiiise as so great a man, by any mcan.s, as their own prncipal chief. In the event of laMn;; up a por:ion of their lands for coloni- sation I havi- alieady had llio honor to su^i,'est that the pay- iiienls should be made in the shape of jeaily presenls of shcIi i articles as woidd hi- mo>t useful lo them. This is the svslem adopted by the L'niicd ."^lales tiovirniuent, and, when il is properly carried out, it is no doubt the best ; but this is not always the case, as I had an o|)porlunily of observini; last Fall al the Grand I'erta^e, where a hraiich of this same tribe receive payments for their lands. On arrivini; at that place on thi' 1st Aut,'usl I observed a niimlor uf Indians Wiiilini,' for the aL;enl with ilicir paynicuts. Two luonlh.s lattr 1 again pa.-scd that way, and they were Htill there, with a considerable aildilion lo their numher, in daily expcelatiou of the iiKenI, as they had beei; when I first .-^aw them. The I'all was S'llin!,' in and it. was time they sin 'd sel (ail lor tlu'ir llllntill^' grounds, but whi'her the ai,'enl came, evenludly, or whether they had lo return to the interior, disappoinled cpf the pittance which they ha I made a long and laborious journey to receive, I am unable lo say. If 1 mention thisciriMUUsianee it is that ihe evils arising frnr i such a slale of thin;,'s miiy be kept in view in any arrani,'cinent wliii'h m.iy lieri'after be inade willi the Indians on iheCanailian si;c. When ihey have to come a lon^' distance Ihe time they lose from their oilier avocalious is of more real importance lo them than the pay which ihey rccidve, and when they are eoni:rei;.ileil with their wives .anil dau;,'hlers, in larye numbers, at somi- stalion where there are rival traders, as al Ihe (iiand l'orlai,'e, and h.ive to wait lonir, il will rea lily be believed that they arc expo.ved lo many deinoralizinj; inllncnces. ROUTES ItKTWEF-N LAKF, SUPEIIIOH AND HAINY LAKE. J'iffcon Mirer Ruulc. This roul" leaves Lake Superior at the (!rand Portage Vil- lage, and, afler passiiii,' lhroui;li a high and hilly reijion, meets the canoe route I'mm the Kamiuislai|uia al Neipiacpion Lake, or, as il is soiuelimes called. Lucid Vrni.c, On rid'erencc to the iiccompanyini; plan, in prolili-, it will be .seen that on leaving Lake Superior the country ris(!s very rapidly, attaining a height al .Mud Lake, just above Mountain Lake, of 1(),}3 feci in ii distance, by llie windings of the stream, of about 10 miles. From thence westward it falls more gradually, Hasswood Lake, which is on the ojiposite side of the water-shed, and distant from Mount. lin Lake about 80 miles, being still at an elcvalion of (ilil feel above Lake Superior. In this high renioii the head-waters of hair diHereiit rivers arc crossed, naniidy, I'igcoii Uivir, .\rrow lliver, SageinaLia Uivcr, and a branch of the .Maligne. The Lakesaie numerous, as they are everywhere ill this dislrii'l, and some of liiem large, but the streams which eonm et llicm are so small as lo be b.iridy navigable for mode- er.iti! sized cnoes; and in the event of a more perh'ct water coniniuniealieii bec-oming necessary, lliis being the higlu'sl land in the neighborhood, a sniumil in hict from which iIk; waters run in every dirccl'oa, there is no siuirce of supply liat could be inadi' available. lIoweviT, until some belter sort of com immiealion is opcneil, il is v.duable as a route for vi.'iy small and light eanees ; as, ahliougli Ihe extent of land carriage is great ,is compareil with the Kamiiiistaiiuia route, it is upon the whole shorter, and there are no rapids which could be al all embaira~;u|)|)ly ol' walrr bciii;^ abundant, find the ^'Miind low, a canal willi loelis niiglil be conKlriicted to connect ilie two, in which case ilieie would be a navii^able reaeli of one hundred niles aero.-.,s the wuinmil of the water >lieil. A glance at the |irc lile of the route will exhibit this much more cluurly than laii;;ua!j;e can exjilain it. C.'ENEKAL KKMAHKS ()X TIIH KOl'TR FKO.M LAKK- Sll'KUlOU TO UKI) ItlVl'.lt. \r. the first instniiee, before trallic has assumed sueh diinen- sions as to render canals and railroads necosary, the ehea|ieNt, aliil indeed the oidy Way of openiuL; the coimnimieation that can hi' adopted, is to place steameis or row boats on the uavi- palile reaches, and make good land roads where the navit;ation is impracticable. This being admitted, it remains for me to describe the extent of land road that wuuM be i;ee(>.>ary, and the navigable veaehes that might be renderi'd availabli'. To counnrnre at l,;d»e Superior, a land road Would be required from Thunder Kay to Dog Lake, as the navigation of the Kaministauipa is utterly iin])ractieable, except for canoes, atid could oidy be rendered otherwise at an ciiornious oulliiy. l>og Lake is distant Irom Lake t^uperior 22.^ inili's, and at a higher I elevation by 71.S feet, a dilference of level which renders a canal ' out "f the oueslion, notwithstanding that the suppiv of water in the Kaijdidstai|uia would be ample. J ho only way of reaching it, therelore, is by land, and the surveys liave pro- gressed so far as to shew that a good line may be obtained in u distance of '.iS miles. \cxt lollows the reach through Dog Lakr' and |)og lUver, which, allowing tor bends, is e(|u:d to :!."> uiiles ; but, to render this available lorl;irj;e vessels, a dam woulil be necessary across the outlet of Dog Lake, which would have the elfecl of throw- ing hack the v .-iter to Cold Water Lake, at the eastern end of the I'raiiie I'urtaL;e. I'rom this reach to the Savaiine Uiver there would be a land carria','(; of live inili's, throuph .-m ciisy country. From thence to the Litlhi Falls, on the Uiver Seine — about ten miles below L;ie des Mille Laes — the distance is about (i,"i miles, wlci(di nd;;ht be rendered navigable, in (jui^ uidiroken leaeh, by means of a dam at the Little F.dls, Just referred to. Prom the Little Falls to Rainy Lake the Uiver .Seine presents u succession of short navigalih' reaches, alternating w ith liills and rapids, the total dist.tnce in a direct line being l'>7 nules, and the tall about ;J,jO fei't, that is without including the di'- ; seeiii at the Little Falls. Having its so.iree in large lakes the i Seine is not subject to great (Inods, ;iiid does not seem at all to overllow its bank.-- ; iniMi(diately below Lac, des ^^llle Lacs it has an average v.iilth of about one hunured feet, and gradually increases in volume until it reaches liainy Lake, liy means of | luck and dam it might be rendered navi;;alde, but the amount of luckage would involve too ureal an expianliturc for the pre- sent stale of the country, or any trallic that could be looked for, fir a long time; to ci-me. 1 would, theri'fire, propose impioving the navigation by means of dams ol' iIk^ simplest construclioti thrown across the river wl.v^re they wouki jiroduce the best effi'ct, as nnuked on the accomparjying plan. In this way a brok-.-n navigation of 59 miles, between the Little Falls and the twelve portages, which latter occur close to Uainy Lake, might be converted into five navigable reaches by means of six dams, while none of the Portages would be of a greater length than Irom .')0 to liui) y.trds ; at the twelve portages a land road of ibuut seven miles in length would be rei|uire«. l'ort»i;e, past dam at Little Falls ... ioO 1st, Na\ igable reach to Long l!apid. 13 (.'arr\ : i;; pl.ice at LoiiglSapid. 'H)0 3nd. N from Long Uapid to Island Falls 8 Carryint; plate at Island I'^alls. lOO 3(d. Navigable to two Islanil Falls... 1:^ Carrymi; I laee nt do do.. 50 4th. Aavigahle to High Falls I (Jarrymg phice at High F.dl.s.. -im) 0th. Navigable water to the twelve |>ortages 05 In all... 750 yardii. 5Uinilu,'4. The total distance from the Little Falls to the twelve jMirtages Would thus be o9 miles of navigable Water in five ditl'erent reaches, with an ag.:regat.'. All till! dams would have a louiidalion on .solid roidi, and wood of the best tpiidity for their coiistrnulioii is everywhere abundant. I''or this part of the route, boats !»uch as the Hudson's Bay Company use couki be most advantageously employed, as they are easily drawn over i short portage, and might be rendered still more .so, in this case, by means of a simple slide or inc'ineJ plane made of logs over which lliey could be (|uickiy hauled. If, however, it should be eonsidered that a land road would allord a more rapid means of eommunicalion, in the event of mail servici! having to be pel formed, it should, also, be con- structed. Fur expedition, merely, .'is regards rapidity of travel- linir, the lainl road wuuhi be the best, while the river would all'ord a more easy means of carrying heiivy articles. From the twelve portages, through Uainy Lake, and a part of Uainy Uiver to Ftirt Fiances, the distance is fifty miles; and in this reach there is no obstruction to the imvig ition. At Fort Fiances there la a lall of 2Z feet, which might ho overcome by wooden locks. The land carriage, however, being only liOO yards, can involve no gieat dilliciilty lor the present. Thence to the western extremity of Lac Flat there is no ob- slruclioii to the navigation except at Iwo little rapids in Kiiiny Uiver w hicli a steamer of moderate |M)Wer eotdd stem with ease : the eiiliii' navii£:ible distance in this reaJi being l.'iS imles. From Lae I'lat to Fort Harry, a riaile avudable for a land road call be obtaii ed in a distance of 91! miles ; nnd the coun- try being level and favourable, this road might be conte travcllud MiukinK ullowiincc lor iIk; lortuo.s- ities of till! lontL'. In regard to tlio mciinN of tninNport which could be hionI economically ami iidvaiit.iKconsly uwd. \Vng|;onN or nirlN would bu riM|uircd on the road between Thun(lcr Bay nnd Dojj Lnkc. On Dog Lake and Kiver boats, siieli as already referred to as bcint; used by tlio Hudson's Hay Company, or even u Btcaaier niiKbt be employed. At the IVairit) Porla'^jo, earls or wa;:s?on» would be necensary. On the Savanne River. Ijuc des Millo Lacs, und the liiver Seine as far as the Little Falls, alter I hi; (lam was ei^nslrueled at the Inst mentioned |ilnce, there would be an uidiroken reach ofG5 miles, nnd on iIiIh seutioii it would be advuntugeous to have a small steamer. On the 51>J miles of broken navigation, on die Kiver Seine, between the Little I'alls and the Twelve I'orta'^es. boats, as already ex[)hiined, should be used, while at the land road past the twelve portages, carts or wa^'tjons, as on the other sections of road, wouhl he lieeessnry. From the River Seine to Fort Frances a steamer wonlii have a clear run of (illy miles. From Fort Francis to Lac I'lat, steimiers would have an nninterru|ited run of 158 miles. From the latter place to Fort (larrv no provision would have to be m.'ule, as the iihnius of transport are to be h.id in aliuiiilaiice at the Red River Settlement. If the communication were tipened in the manner above set forth, the Journey from Luke Superior to Red River mit;lit lie performed in about three days, that is, allowiiisj that steamers could be maintained at an .-iverai^e .speeil of ten miles an hour on the nuvi);ablo reaches, tli.il the land mails mii^lit be pas-ed over ut the rate of five miles an hour, and that the interru|>le>t navigation of the Seine could be aeuumplished i:l th(^ rate of four miles an hour. This estimate, und it cannot be considered a high one, would give the following result in to distance und time : KOIl I.ANU ROAnS. From Thunder Bay to Dog Lake 2H miles. Across prairie nnd Savanne Portages 5 Vast twelve jKirtages on Seine 7 From Luc Plat to Fort Gari y 01', — - i;!i.> Broken navigation o!i Soinc 50 J NAVIIiAIILK VVATKR. Tlirough Dug Lake and Hiver 35 Lac des Mille I^acs ami Savanne River 65 From twelve ixirtages R. Seine to Luc I'lat . . 'iOH 3()S Total distance IDO miles. Which might be travelled thus : lluiii'rt. Miimti's. I31i iiulcs land road at 5 miles per hour 20 IS 504, or say CO miles broken navigation at 4 miles per hour J 5 00 308 miles navigable water at 10 miles per In ur yo 4S Total 72 thai is, in three days as nearly as may be. But if mail service had to bo performed with great celerity, there can be no doubt that with a proper equipment of horses and earriatjes, a speed of seven miles an hour might be kept up on the land roads ; while on the navigable readies, with boats of i^ullicient power, an average rate of twelve miles an hour, or even more, might be maintained. According to a rough estimate which I have made, the total cost ol opening the conmiunicatiun in the maimer which I propose, would nut exceed fifty thousand pounds, but until the surveys now in progress nie completed, and the necessary lueasuremiMits taken, it is impos.sible for mu submit a very precise esti'iiatc in detail. It has been said, indeed strongly urited, by interested pnrlie."i, thai the route thmugh the Slate of Miimesota by St. J'aul nn(l I'eiiitiina, would allord the best means of communication with ill!' Red River Sellleiiient. But I do not .see how this opinicm can reasonably be ascertained. Under any circumsl:inces there Would he a greater extent miles in leiiKlh— niiifht be made between Lake Superior an I R.iiiiy Lake, .•iiiil anolber, of 01 \ miles, between Lac Plat and Fort liarry. if this were duip', and two locks constructed at Fort Frances, the Red Riv, r SotlleNK'iit would be within less than two days Journey of Luke Superior, there! being I9,"i miles of railroad at the eastern end of the route, aiiil 91 i at the westi-rn, wilh an iiitermediale reach ol 208 miles of navigable water. This would bring For? (Jarry within five days' Journey of Toronto. As to the immediate results which might be reasonably anti- cipated from opening the coimnunication, in the maimer which I have pro|)oscd, as a preliminary step towards works of a more extended nature, I may enumerate the following: 1st. In the first place the trade of the Red River Settlement would be at once transfeired to this part of Canada. 2nd. It is reasonable to suppose that when the lludso i'.s B.iy Company discovered that they could carry on their trade more economically by this route than by Hudson's Flay, they also Would adopt it, thus bringing through the country the greater portion of a trade amounting to nearly half a million sterling yearly. 3i'd. It would be the first slop towards a route through Canada and Britis-ii ('ohnnbia. Onee at Red River, there is navigable water with but lillle interruption to the base of tin; Rocky Mountains; and through ihesir it ap|)ears that Capt. Palliserhas rccemlv discovered easy passes, within British territory. From thence westward to Fra/.er's River the distance is, compara- tively, not great. It is, thereloie, reasonable to believe that if the route were opened to Red River it woulil soon he continued all the way to r'razer's River and the Pacific, and us it is the shortest that can be adopted, it would no doubt become the liii^liw&y of an eniigralion to the gold regions, the extent of which no one can forsce. ■1th. Another, and by fir the most important considctation is, thai by opening this route a vast extent of fertile land would bo thrown open to oolonisalion, and this is of peculiar interest to Canada at present. It is a well known fact that an emigration is constantly going on from Lower Canada to the prairies of the Western States. iNow, the liivieie J{oiii;e and the A'oitl OiieM, from the time that the Canadian voyageurs occupied the conn- try, have, been liimiliar words in Lower Can.ada, and if the route were oive opened there can he no doubt but that Cana- diim emigrants would prefer a land with which they are so much connected by olil associations, where a kindred people arc ready to receive them, and where they would have the in- estimable advantage of living under British laws, to a country wi.eie they would not understand the language, and where mobt 30 of lli'wp of tlietn who dooininriito liuooiiio mi-re lievvers of wood and (Irawcrsi ol water, to li |)i!i>|>lc! who liuvu sliiir|HiL'»s enough to turn tliuir siiiiplicily to ucuouiit. THK i'iKx;itr,ss or tmk suiivkv at I'UKsiiNT liKIMJ ( AltRIKh (>\ ItKTWKKN LAKl-i JSUI'KKIOU AND IIAIW LAKK. I havcjiHt ri'ciMVfd dt'spiitchi's from my iissistiiiits Mr L. A- liiissi-ll iiii'l Mr. J. I'', (iitudi't. It it|i|HMr.s that U|> to tlio limt' they wriild thi! survey" hud lioen prnsiuMili'd with i;reut eiierify. Mr. Gmdet had eomiih'ted a cursory exphiratidti "I Dh'^ l/ike, (ind made iiii insiriuiicntal survey of I to;; Uiver, the Mu-tkaig Lake and the Savnime li'ver, an far us Lae ih's Mille Lacs. At the tiuie he wrote (j,jrd Dec), hi? was nhout to commence tho survey of the Kivor Seine, ns expluiiicj in hi:i letter, whicli 1 annex, with u phui of his surveys. Mr. L. A. Kns.sfil'.soiieratii ns are detaik-d in liis l.'tler, which 1 also annex willi die plan to which he refers. It srems helip-t been successful in (Indinn a good hni' for a roail lielween Thun- der Hay and Do^ LaUe, near an Indian palh a little to the west rfCiirrcnt River. This is imp )rt;iut, as tlie region to vvhicli his explorations have heen cunliiicl is the rou^^hesl on ilk' wh le line ol route. Mr. 1 iiiudel has lii< In a 1 i[iiarler> on I'e .S iv mU'' Kiv r. and when he wrol • w.is ih nil 1 i mI mil ii li" siii v y i f t'lr Kivrr Seine. l\ia\N .Mission, Fort William, Jaiiu iiy iini, 185!). S>iR,^l send a skclch slu'wiiii; ihe Current River line, and, also, the Indian winter loute which starts from Thunder Uiv, nhoni half way heiwten tho monlh ol' the Kaininisiaipiia anil Current River, th^n li)llou inirlhe valley oi the second river noitli of Foil William, entiles out on D.i;; l/ike, alioul a mile aiiil a half West of ihe Current River line. A heller road site can he found alniiir the side of this little river than anywhere ahout the line, us tlie hitler crosses all tho llills, ravines and swamps, hid'Hil' which the said river lakes its rise, as well as those at th.' sources nf .inollier lilllc river ur bro'ik between the first and (hirrent River. On th(^ Indian track the couiilry is less hilly and not so swampy. There is a in le or si nf liad swamp at the oiil.sel, but it can he avoided by Stirling a simrl di^t mce to the north, thus coniiii;; on a rid^e of hi;;h land which runs down cli>s(! to the shore ot the lake. The imxt had ()la miles from its mouth, we eoiilil see its course for a long dislance through an exceedingly rough country. It is full of rapids and (alls pouring through clefts of iip-lieaved granite and -late, < tpp »iic ilie secoiid mile of the line it passes Ihniii'.'h slale ; Init higher up, ilirniigli granite. Ahout the 14tli and l.")lh miles the ground lo ilic N. L. i.f ;lie line is more level, till near Lake I'ijkt-, when it gets mieveii again. The banks of that lake are high, and wooded with while birch, poplar, and spruce, but the soil is of the same light sand as elsewhere on the line, and the hills are rocky ; its discharge into Hawk Lake is a small and rapid stream, which falls, perhaps, nearly a hmidred feet between the two lakes. The shores of Hawk Lake are much higher than those of Lake I'ijke, rising in steep rocky hills from the watcr^s edge ; the norlh shore of the eastiTu end of the lake is a wall of cliffs, about loO tcot in height, which then rises higher in wooded hills hehinil. Hawk Lake dischargi's itself into Dog Luke about a mile to the west of the line by a rapid and shallow brook, which rims fioin Us western exireniity. On it arc two little lakes, and Indian I'ortages out of (Mie into the other, and llieu into Dog Lake. 1 am now gniiigto run a line from the Mission to the thirtontli mile on the (Iiirreiit River line ; ihal liuished, I will locate the road from I'liun 'er Hay lo Dog Lake. I run the line first, as it will give me a much better knowledge of the country. As I nnderslaod my instructions, I am to locate the road on the best ground I can find. I will, therefore, take it along the valley of the second little river north of the Kaministuqnia, as shown in the sketch. I would have riiii the line froin the Missiim to the 8lh or 9tli mile posts, weri! it not that I know the country through which it would pass to be bad ; it would run through the swamp, on the two little rivers hcliind the Fort, and the ground about the Itlh mile at the line is very rough. I take with me five men, tht; number you allowed me when I should be runuing lines. They are ,Ios. Whiteway, J. Smith, and three of the Mission Indians. I have, as yet, got only one of the Indians at 3s. Od. |)er day. I ni.iy, ])crliaps, have to do with three men, as the pcojile of the mission arc asking exorbi- tant wages. We have had a mild winter hitherto and a good deal of snow, it is now about two feet in depth. Tho greatest cold that has occurred was on the 8th December, at sunrise, when tho thermometer indicated 25" below zero; and on tho 17tli December, at sunrise, on Hawk Lake, wdien it shewed 27" below zero. The temperature at the ini.ssion was at the same time lU" below zeio. On the 15tli November the people first crossed the Kaminislaquia on the ice. Thnuiler Hay is not. )et frozen across, but tho small bays aro iicurlv all frozen. 81 Mr. Mclntyru oxpcRts n Red Kivor Mniltliisi moiitti, nnd will forwnril it iit oik-p. i will write !>>' iliiit mMJl, A mull has arrived liiit did not hriiii; hm any lettcrN. Wiidiiiig you u liii|i|iy new year, I rciiiiiiii, Yours truly, (Signend. 1 Aug down at M'Veral plaei's. and found that the average depth of hlack nioidd nvcr clay is from (J to IK inelii's. From the Und mile post to the 7lh nnylliiin,' more? heantilul can- not be asked for; it is a cypress ridye, soil saml. The remain- ing l| mile is a gradual descent to tlio river. The tiiid)er changes to poplar and hirch, and we meet with a few riiclis hut not many ; however, these can lie avoided hy making a short detour. Dog Kiver, from Jourdida's Rapid to Dog Lake, is 37 miles in length. On upper Dog River, from where Miisknig River hranchcs olT, there is hnl one porlage, 17 chains long and ahoni 15 foL't fall. The river has more the aiipcarance of a lake than n river, varying from two to five chains in breadth. On Muskaig River you will see hy the sketch that there are nine portages and five rapids from its eonlUienee with Dog Kiver to Muskaig Lake. Thi.s river is exceedingly small and rough. Muskaig Lake is an extensive sheet of water, a great deal larger than I expected to find it from the si/e ol the river. Where the portase.'i occur the average hreadlh of the river is from 15 to iO feet, through clills of granite rock. From the head of the 5lh |)ortas.'e, with the exception of llie rapids that occur between it and 'he Muskaig Lake, it has a general width of ahout two chains, winding through a low swampy country limbered with tatiuirac. All the i.slands in Muskaig Lake, with the exception of the two at the outlet, are sketched in. It had heen my intention to BUrvey the whole, hut the survey of the shore occupied a longer lime than I had made calculation for. Snvnnna River, from the depot to Mille Lacn, in 18J miles in length. While engaged in making my jilans I sent all the men, with the' rest of the provisions, to Mille Lac, making small nnhillvs at intervals, so that I may use ihein as 1 go along. I shall leave in the morning and join my party at the mouth of the Saviinne River. It is my intention to scale the north-west coast of Mille Lies .itr.iight Ihniu^h to your raclictte, and when I reach it I shall eontinne down Riviere La Seine, and leave the south-cast Jior- tion (d" Mille Lacs till I return. I think you will agree with me that it is heller for me to com- plete as much of the lower section with what provisions I have now, so lh.it when I return it will be closer h)r me to p k 1^' ^^ . .w .H "i?.-i ?-.>',-^-= • * t' :.S- a ^H.^. 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E a s s a a a a a a a a a s s a a a 0.4 o.*co»io»oNC4«oc«oe»a*ow omjo^'Q •-* n CO ^ ta « r- CO A o *^ eS a. ex A &« &•«! 0.tf 0.4 a.«a I^O* i-si«i-«cB — '^i- — (Ci-ct«CK5i^-*tct-M«)t».-iioc^tcoc^*i3»r^"*O»O»O»'*'^ S «S(N w ?1 ^. M f 1 m M ei M ct C4 et 9( w e» •» I Iff I 5 2 I ggsssssssssssssssssss •qiaoji DID JO A«(I d a* ^ i a" a" a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a „«,«•«• o- a 42 LEITER FROM THE BISHOP OF ST. BONIFACE, BEB RIVEB SETTLEMENT. The following communiealion has just boon received from llio Right Ucvcrcnd iho Bishop of St. Honifacc, in the Colony of Assiniboia. His lordship, it will tic observed, gives a, very inte- resting account of the educational and religions establishments in his diocese, and of the L;rndual advancement of the half breed Indians in civilization and refinement. 'I'he absence of great crimes among them, and the facility with which little differences nre arranged, speak volume i I'fl 'or of those who, regardless of personal considerations, devc .1 c to their moral training and instruction. Bishop Tacht • n in the country for four- teen years, and has travelled fai • wide among the native tribes, and In ihe exercise of the dunes of his high office must have had the best opportunities of observing their habitfl and eharacter. His remarks are therefore of the greatest value, and will, 1 am confident, be read with deep interest : Red River, Feb. 7th, 1869. Dear Sir, — I have jus* received your pleasing letter of 29th December last. Not only the excellent report which you arc preparing of the soil, climate, and other ma'.ters relating to the physical and geographical character of the vast country explored by you will, I am sure, be hailed with |)leasure in Canada, where a strong desire prevails of obtaining informaiion on the subject; but anything which is calculated to throw new light on, and add to, the knowledge which is now so much in request, will find ready acceptance there. I have therefore much satisfaction in c(mtributing the information which you ;equest of me. I regret only that the shortness of the time will not allow me to make that information as complete as might be necessary to give an exact idea of what is paj^sing here, even to persons who have some slight knowledge of tiie country. The effbits made by the Catholic Clergy to extend the em|)ire of Jesus Christ over my immense diocese, have two distinct and very different fields, which may be thus defined : 1. The ministration afforded to the Catholic population of Red River and the neighbourhood, in which, excepting some slight difference, our functions resemble those of the priests in new parishes in Lower Canada. 2. The care of the missions in the interior of the country, which are altogether heathen missions, entitled to particular at- tention, in order to their being perfectly understood, and yielding to the evangelical husbandni.iu a rich harvest of merits and a glory which the world does not sufficiently regard, simply because the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world. To this division I shall attach inyoclf in the detaib which it is my intention to supply. fj 1. Aids iitforded to the Catholics of Red River, and reflex- ions concerning them. The Catholic population of Red River is distributed into wi:at we conventionally term parishes These are four in number . 1. St. Uoniface — 2. St. Norbert (on the banks of the Red River) — 3. St. Francis Xavier — t. St. Charles (on the banks of the Assiniboinc.) The boundaries of these parishes, as shown in the map accompanying the Report of Professor Hind, are tolerably exact. St. Boniface. — Here was the first resting-place of the earliest missionaries who visited the Hudson's Bay Territory after the Con- quest of Canada by the English. At the request, and with the aid of Lord Selkirk, Messrs. J. N. Provenclier and T. J. N. Uuinoulin landed at Fort Douglas on the 16th July, 1818, and commenced their labor of self-devotion and self-sacrifice, bestow- ing their first cares on a few old Canadian vin/a'^riirx and their tamilies, half breeds, who were .still nnconverted. In IH'iO, was laid the foundation of the first religions edifice. This poor chapel, which was of wood, and was nevertheless deslini'd affer- wards to serve as a Cathedral, was consecrated to religious wor- ship under the patronage of Si. Uoniface. The parish to wliich it belongs lias now a populntion of 1100 souls. It is here that I pefbrni the duty of a Cur6, being assisted in it by the Rev. P. I>e(loit. Two other missionaries, the Rev. Messrs. Mestre and Moulier, who arrived last summer, are jiassing the winter witli us, awaiting the opening of the spring to be enabled to proceed to one of the posts, to which they are summoned by their pioua zeal. The Church of 8t. Uoniface, my Cathedral, is certainly not externally a monument of elegance, as you may have ob- o-erved, but it is nevertheless indisputably the finest building in the country. It is 100 .cet in Icngtii, 45 in breadth, and 40 in height. Its two towers, surmounted by belfries covered with tin, display the emblem of our redemption on their airy summits, at a height of 100 feet from the ground. A line and well matched peal of three bells (weighing upwards of 1600 lbs.) adds to the joyous zest and the pomp allenilant on our religious fi^tes. The internal decorations ot this (Church are a subject of surprise to strangers traversing the wilderness, who are far from expecting to find here so much of art and good taste. In rear of the Cathedral, and overshadowed liy its walls is the dwelling of the Bishop. This is a large house, in which the prelate is happy in Ijeing able to share with his clergy, the brothers of his schools, and some orphans, the small portion of his revenue which is not employed in other good works. The Parish of Xt. Boni- face has the advantage of possessing excellent scliools. L'ntil May last, the Doys' school of the brothers of the Christian Doc- trine was kept in the bishop's house ; but since that' lime, llio brothers and their pupil i have taken possession of a large house built for them, a few hundred feet from the cathedral. Here I cannot refrain from expressing the feeling of gratitude which warms my heart at the sight of that house. In 1852, a terrible fire destroyed a considerable portion of the City of Monireal. Scarcely had the fiery and destructive blast passed away when the soft and refreshing breath of charity stirred the still smoking ashes, and wafted to the Red River a lessor, too advantageous to its friends to be lightly forgotten. The faithful at Montreal, at the instance of their cliief pastor, in order to appease by their good works the anger of Heaven, shewn by so terrible an inflic- tion, desirous moreover of fulfilling the conditions imposed by the Sovereign Pontiff' to entille them to the indulgences of the Jubilee, made a collection for the benefit of Hed River, which produced the sum of £364. This was to bo expended in the foundation of a school. To this liberal act of ciiarity we are indebted lor the means of creeling the beautifiil house in which i')b boys are now receiving their education. On the other side of the cathedral, at an equal distance from it is the " very spa- cious Convent " mentioned by Mr. Hind in his report. lam sorry tb.;t the learned professor, in speaking of this Convent, found nothing; to s[>cak of more interestiiig than the cultivation be- stowed on the garden in front of it. The cabbages and other vegetables produced ip. it are no doubt very fir.e, nevertheless the interior of the house, and the extensive benefits dispensed by its inhabitants, are matters still more worthy of admiratioa iS nnd comment. This Convent Ik-Iomrh to tlio Sislrrs of Clinrily. known in Caiintln as llic Grey Nuns. These lieroio followers ()f Christ, nninmtcd by a ir, given you a full account of the reli- gions eoniliirts alliinled In the Catholic po|iiilatiiin of Kcd Kivcr. Far then from being neglected in ibis respect, they Jiossess a full measure of this essential blessing. Considering the sparse chara''tcr of the settlements, the schools would need to be in- creased in nniiiber in certain districts, but the absence of any law relative to education, juiil of zeal in the people themselves, renders it utterly impossible to do more. I venture to a»crt what all rciisonahlc and impartial persons must, in view of what is done, acknowledge, that the result far transci'iids the means which wo can ciiimiiand. The truth is that, liiit fur the unselfish /,e;il ofsome who devcitc themselves without fee or earthly reward to the ar- duous and meritorious task, it woidd be absolutely impossible to keep up the schools. So far, scarcely one child in ten has paid for Ills schooling, nlthough the charge does not exceed ten shil- lings ])er annum, and I am certain that if we insisted on the ' |Kiyinent of even that trilling sum, many of the scholars would , leave the schools, such is the carelessness and indifference of the parents in that res])ect, notwithstanding our oft repeated en- ' treaties and the sacriiices which arc made in that behalf. This indifference concerning the education of their children and ne- glect of the many advantages afforded them is a standing rc- jiroaeh which may be justly cast on our p(i|mlation. 1 do not sav that this is their only fault. Alas I the history of mankind, study it where we may, gives us nuieh food for regret on the score both of omission and conimissiun. I am desirous here to correct an error sorely injurious to us, into which nearly all the writers on this country have fidlen. A fixed idea seems to have been entertained by them generall, , at least a stereotyped ex- pression of it appears in all their works, intended to establish an humilialing and unjust comparisnu between the half breeds of Freneh Canadian parentage, and those of a different origin. I have neither the wish nor the lime to controvert all the absurd \ things that have been said on this suiiject. One word only I ■ shall say relative to this idea, as it is propounded in one of the best books which I am accpi.iinlcd with on this country. In his I Arctic Searching Expedition, Sir ,Iohu Uichardson remarks at page 273-4 : "In character the half breeds vary according to their paternity ; the descendants of the Orkney " laborers" being " generally stcaily, provident agriculturists of the Protestant " tiiith ; while the children of the Roman Catholic Canadian " Voyagers have much of the levity anil thoughtlessness ol their " fathers, combined with that inability to resist temptation, which " is common to tlic two races from whence they are sprung."' It is not necessary either to have been the inventor of gunpow- der or to have enriched the domain of science by any important discovery, in order to detect, at a glance, the tci-deucy of these rcmurkK, and the spirit wliich dictated them. For my own part, 41 I hove been in tlic country ncarlj' fourteen ycnrs, I have come in contact with lialf i)rcc(l3 of every extraction, anil I iiave ns yet failed to liisrover liic (zrouiulii for any !er8onB who should come ; we are more in want of arms than of mouths. A company of soldiers and the exploring parties who visit the settlement suffice, as it is, to create a famine. The price of many of the necessaries of life has doubled since last )ear, and although the harvest was pretty good, and hunting and fishing abundantly successful, nevertheless, there is an ex- treme scarcity of every thing. Young married men, farmers or tradesmen, would have the best chance of success here. Although I have said that I should prefer to see our lands oc- cupied by seitlers from Lower Canada, it is not that I wish to advise my fellow countrymen to leave their homes ; far from it. On the contrary, it seems to me that our beautiful country is worthy of retaining and rich enough to support, all those who arc born upon iier soil. For my own part, had not motives of a higher order determined my will, had not a voice stronger than the voice of nature and of blood sounded in my cars, never could I have consented to break the link that bound my heart to the land of my birth. The bread of exile is so bitter, the strange land so barren, even in the height of its fertility, that the word " good bye" has always seemed to me the most painful in the vocabulary of the human heart; I am, therefore, very far from wishing to encourage the Canadians to emigrate, but if, owing to special and exceptional reasons, they arc com- pelled to remove from their native land, if they are determined to lake up the pilgrims' staff, rather than see them take thedireo- lion of the United States, I prefer to have ihcm come here. Hero their faith, at all events, will not be exposed, and if they be de- orived of some material advantages, these will be compensated for by others of a higher order. Their children will here find masters and mistresses to enlighten their minds, and at the same time to train their hearts to virtue. Daily experience enables me to promise them zealous priests, who will be true fathers to them, and who, here as they did at home, will preach to them in their own mother tongue, the goodness of their God and the love which they owe him. Another thing which I can promise them is the affectionate interest which is, and ever will be, enter- tained for them, by the pastor whose flock they will come to Join. The Bishop of St. Boniface, a Canadian like themselves, ! their brother, therefore, and their friend, will be really rejoiced I to have it in his power to assist them, and willingly engages I tu devote to the welfare of the new comers, as well as to that of ! the rest of his people, everything at his disposal. Besides, no . one ha« a better riglit to occupy the valley of the Red River, or even the valley of the Saskatchewan, than the Canadians of French origin. Our fathers were the hardy champions of civil- ization who first penetrated these regions, influenced by motives far superior to the low interests of commerce ; these brave, and skilful discoverers came at the call and in the company of the missionaries, to ra!<"! the standard of the cross in the vast prairies of the West. E\.< days have since come upon the beautiful portion of the American continent which they reclaimed trom barbarism, but aflcr a century of struggles and constancy, our 46 my years in eJly, nnd I ou|(li()iit the our present ioW4 are too e ony great tn proposed sent system, I fear that it neiit from it. n actual fact, been, an ex- the oasis in and poetical burb of some nndy reached in cannot fail as well as by our lands habilanis from Kcd River ut the ]>er8on8 orins than of IK parties who famine. The t)led since last , and hunting there is an ex- men, farmers success here, e our lands oc- that I wish to )mes ; far from autiful country rt,nll those who not motives of I voice stronger ed in my ears, that bound my xile is tio bitter, t of ils fertility, to me the most I om, therefore, ans to emigrate, 9, they are com- are determined m take thedireo- ome here. Hero id if they be de- be compensated en will here find , and at the same pcrience enables ic true fathers to preach to them heir God and the ch I can promise vcr will be, enter- hey will come to I like themselves, jc really rejoiced willingly engages well as to that of isal. Besides, no the Red River, or lie Canadians of liampions of civil- lenced by motives these brave, and c company of the n the vast prairies )on the beautiful y reclaimed trom id constancy, our nationality shines out before an astonished world and nothing can bo more naturul than that our brethren should uncc tnore take possession of the land discovered by their nnccstorf, and consecrated by them sa destined to witness at u future time the regeneration of the unfurtunntc tribes whom they found inlmbit- ing it. Besides, the chiiin which connects Canada, and especially French Canada, with the Red River, has never been broken. Ever since the occupation of our country by the power which protects us lo well to-day, the intrepid and skilful voyageurs nave still continued to be recruited from amongst our Jcllow countrymen. They occupy an inferior position, under the cir- cumstances, but their services have been acknowledged as indis- pensable. At a later period, French Canadians hnve here ac- quired claims, of whicli they cannot without injustice be de- prived. There is one name deserving of the most prominent and honorable mention from every historian of the colony of Assiniboia, it is the name of a French Canadian, Mgr. J. N. Provencher, first apostle and first Bishop of the diocese, who succeeded in gaining the love and respect of all, the father of the poor whom he suffered so much in relieving, and the friend of the rich, who admired his virtues. In many instances the paternal influctice of this worthy prelate prevented the commis- sion of crimes which would have caused the ruin of this colony, while the wisdom and firmness of his counsels prevented the odoption of measures calculated to bring about the same misfor- tune. Without wishing to detract in any woy from the merits of those to whose good offices it stands indebted, I think it is but just to assert that Mgr. Provencher has been one of the main props of this colony, and that but for him it would have been destroyed on more than one occasion. Would that the limits of this letter but allowed me to give free vent lo my gratitude, sm chief pastor of the Catholic popu- lation of this colony, for the benefits with which our generous country has overwhelmed us, but I am not writing a book, and I must restrain within my heart the thoughts that struggle fur utterance. %* The remainder of this letter was not in time to appear with this Report. 7