==-€^ 
 
 MEMORANDUM, 
 
 PREPARED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 jpomtnion f and mrtienors Issociation* 
 
 IN ACCORDANCE WITH A RESOLUTION REGARDING 
 
 « GEOGRAPHICAL * NOMENCLATURE * AND * ORTHOGRAPHY » 
 
 IN 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 Passed at the Annual Meeting, held at Ottawa, March 
 15th and i6th, 1888. 
 
 PRINTED IJY JOHN LOVELL &- SON. 
 1888. 
 
 Bfil 
 
 &3SSS 
 

 '^ 
 
 fo PorQiQiOQ Iiai^d StirvcyoPB. 
 
 Should you not be a member of the Association, it is 
 respectfully urged that you at once become such, and by 
 your earnest co-operation assist in making it a means of ' 
 elevating the standard of the profession, and, by an inter- j 
 change of idea§, of increasing the scientific knowledge of its ! 
 members to as great an extent as possible. } 
 
 Those who are not Dominion Land Surveyors by profes- ! 
 sion, but whose pursuits, scientific acquirements or practical 
 experience fit them to co-operate with Dominion Land 
 Surveyors in the advancement of professional knowledge, 
 are qualified to join as Associate Members. 
 
 Should you be acquainted with any Dominion Land 
 Surveyor who is not a member, or any gentleman qualified 
 to join as an associate member, use your earnest endea- 
 vours to make him become such. " In UNITY IS STRENGTH." 
 Then let us unite together, and as a body be one man with 
 one end in view, 
 
MEMORANDUM, 
 
 PREPARED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ominion jani mrvtpr^ j^HSociatiom 
 
 IN ACCORDANCE WITH A RESOLUTION REGARDING 
 
 "GEOGRAPHICAL * NOMENCLATURE * AND * ORTHOGRAPHY »> 
 
 IN 
 
 CANADA. 
 
 Passed at the Annual Meeting, held at Ottawa, March 
 15th and 1 6th, 1888. 
 
 Iltontrral : 
 
 PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL 6- SON. 
 1888. 
 
Mltk'^ 
 
JvlEJylO^i^^PUM- 
 
 In accordance with a resolution regarding the naming of 
 geographical features, passed at the last annual meeting of the 
 Association of Dominion Land Surveyors, the Executive Com- 
 mittee beg to submit the following remarks in reference to the 
 important question of geographical nomenclature and orthography 
 in Canada, and to make certain suggestions regarding the necessary 
 action to correct many of the mistakes and inconsistencies now 
 existing, and to prevent re-occurrence of the same in the future. 
 
 The Committee having invited the views of those gentlemen 
 connected with the Government service, who have to do with the 
 naming of geographical features, or the compilation of Govern- 
 ment maps, and who are, therefore, in a position to speak intelli- 
 gently on this point, submit the same as affording most valuable 
 and reliable information in reference thereto. 
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NOMENCLATURE 
 
 IN CANADA. 
 BY DR. G. M. DAWSON, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
 
 *' So far as I have been able to discover, no code of rules bear- 
 " ing on the introduction or use of geographical names in new or 
 " unmapped country has been authoritatively formulated or con- 
 " sistently followed. Usage in the matter has been very varied, 
 " and often quite rnanifestly very absurd and unjust, both toward 
 " the native races inhabiting such new countries and to the earlier 
 '* civilized explorers, the names given by whom have too often been 
 " ignored in consequence of the egotism, ignorance or in some 
 " cases the sycophancy of later explorers or surveyors. The very 
 " intricacies of the question and the diversity of circumstances in 
 " different regions appear to have constituted the chief difficulty 
 •' met with in laying down uniform rules, but it seems that it may 
 " not be impossible to formulate principles which should be appli- 
 " cable to the circumstances in so far as the Dominion of Canada 
 
2 Memorandum on Geographical Nomenclature, 
 
 " is concerned. The matter is an important one from a practical 
 •' point of view alone, and the fixing of geographical names in the 
 *' first instance on published maps carries with it a considerable 
 *' responsibility. 
 
 '* Dr. Egli, from a study of known geographical names, enun- 
 " ciates the following law as the result of his investigations : — 
 
 " * Geographical onamotology, regarded as the intellectual out- 
 " come of a people or of an epoch, represents both the stage 
 " and direction of culture specially characteristic of that onamo- 
 " tological family.' {Nomina Geographica Leipsic 1870-73, quoted 
 in Scottish Geog. Ma^., Vol. I., p. 425.) 
 
 ** Respecting the orthography of geographical names, however, 
 " some progress has been made, and principles have been recom- 
 *' mended which it may be well to follow. The Royal Geographi- 
 •* cal Society has adopted (in 1885) a series of rules of which the 
 •' essential points, in so far as they are applicable to the particular 
 " question under discussion, may be summari^ied as follows : 
 
 (Journal Royal Geog. Society^ Vol. VII, p. 535 J 
 
 ** * Names which have passed into common usuage, whether 
 " correctly rendered or otherwise, should be retained. 
 
 *' ' Names, such as native names, which have not been committed 
 " to writing in characters of the Roman alphabet, to be spelt 
 " according to sound as nearly as possible.' 
 
 " For this purpose definite values are assigned to the letters of 
 " the alphabet, the main features of the alphabet recommended 
 "being as follows: — 'Vowels to be pronounced as in Italian, 
 " consonants as in English. An acute accent to mark the sylla- 
 " ble on which stress is laid in pronunciation.' 
 
 " The Geographical Society of Paris, about a year later, adopted 
 " rules for orthography which are practically identical with the 
 " above. The alphabets recommended by both societies are also 
 " nearly the same with Gibb's standard alphabet published by the 
 " Smithsonian Institution in 1863, and with that of Major J. VV. 
 "Powell (1880), the two last being, however, intended for linguis- 
 " tic purposes. Though any one of these alphabets might be 
 «* employed with advantage, I believe that the preference should be 
 " given to the first mentioned, as having been adopted from a 
 " specially geographical standpoint, as being that likely to be 
 " employed for scientific geography in the numerous and widely 
 
Memorandum 071 Gcoyrophical Nomenclature. 3 
 
 " scattered regions constituting this Empire, and as being siiffi- 
 *' cicntly precise for the purpose in view, while at the same time 
 '* simple. 
 
 " In cases of conflicting names applied to the same feature, and 
 
 " for guidance in selecting those to be definitely perpetuated on 
 
 " official majjs, the underlying rule must, I think, be that of prior- 
 
 *' ity. This rule has always been tacitly recognized in geography, 
 
 ** it has been affirmed lately by the Geological Congress, and has 
 
 " been generally acknowledged in systematic scientific nomcncla- 
 
 " ture. Without entering into a statement of the obvious advan- 
 
 •' tages of such a principle, I may quote the following remarks as 
 
 "embodying a late pronouncement in its favor from the Coifg of 
 
 '* Nomenclature and Check List of North American Birds (1886). 
 
 *' The passage quoted is of course intended to apply specially to 
 
 " scientific nomenclature in Natural History, but is in most points 
 
 " equally applicable to the systematic nomenclature of natural 
 
 •* features. 'The general tendency at present is in favor of the 
 
 "greatest attainable fixity of names, by the most rigid adherence 
 
 " to the law of priority under all practicable circumstances, and 
 
 " by the disregard as far as possible of all rules requiring the 
 
 *' rejection of names for faulty construction, for barbarity, for 
 
 " being meaningless, and even for being literally false.' 
 
 " With the facts above referred to in view, and taking also into 
 " account the other considerations which affect the question, I 
 " venture to suggest the following as principles to be observed in 
 '* regard to the nomenclature of plans in Canada : 
 
 " I. Names of places should be adopted and perpetuated as 
 " they occur where first published on maps or in reports or works 
 " in which the places are described. 
 
 " Provided, however, that the mere incidental mention of names 
 " which cannot certainly be localized, or which it may be evident 
 *' have been carelessly or casually referred to, may be rejected or 
 '* modified. 
 
 " Exceptions to this rule may also occasionally and guardedly 
 '* be allowed in the case of names which may have become entirely 
 " obsolete, owing to insufficient publication. 
 
 " 2. Where well recognized English and French equivalents 
 " exist for the names of places, either form may be employed, but 
 " so far as possible that first given to any place should be retained 
 ** in its original form \ and where reports or works are translated 
 " from English to French, or conversely, the names of places should 
 ** not hi changed except in the case first mentioned. 
 
Meniordudum on Ge()(jr(ii>hl<xil Nomenclaiiire. 
 
 "3. In respect to geograjjhical featutcs for which no published 
 'names exist, the names em|)lt)ye(l by the natives of the district 
 ' should be assumed to have priority. 
 
 *' Exceptions may be made to this rule where traders, settlers, 
 'miners, etc., have applied names which have bei:ome locally 
 ' kno' n in place of the native names. Also where the native 
 'names are too long or too difficult of pronunciation for conve- 
 ' nient use, and where the same names have already been applied 
 ' to places in the same or neighboring districts, and are thus 
 ' likely to lead to confusion, though the duplication of names of 
 ' minor features in widely separated localities cannot in all cases 
 ' be avoided, and where they are not likely to appear together 
 ' on general maps is scarcely objectionable. 
 
 " In the case of the exceptions noted in the above paragraph, 
 
 * the translations of Indian names m.iy often bo adapted with 
 ' advantage. 
 
 " 4. When native names are adopted according to the above 
 'rule, they should be taken in their entirety, and not arbitrarily 
 ' mutilated or cut down for the sake of brevity, though the general 
 ' term denoting river, lake, etc., may be dropped — e.g. waptu 
 
 * (Stoney), sipsi (Cree) meaning river, sagohequn (Cree) meaning 
 
 * lake, etc. 
 
 " 5. All such native names for the first time published to be 
 
 * spelt according to sound, in conformity with the alphabet recom- 
 ' mended by the Royal Geographical Society. 
 
 " 6. In all cases where after due enquiry it is found necessary 
 
 * to ajiply new names, either owing to the non-existence of 
 ' recognized names or to inability to ascertain the native names, 
 ' they should be whenever possible of a descriptive character or 
 ' have some historical or other potent connection with the district, 
 ' all trivial, meaningless or too common names being carefully 
 'avoided. 
 
 " 7. All names of places in newly explored or surveyed districts 
 ' to be approved before publication by the Surveyor General, the 
 
 * Director of the Geological Survey, or head of any other Depart- 
 ' ment, under which original geographical work may be carried 
 ' out ; it being understood that the head of such Department 
 ' assumes the responsibility 3f the nomenclature and of the ortho- 
 ' graphy of names. 
 
Memorandum on Geoyrnphival Nomenclalure. 5 
 
 EXTRACT FROM LETTER OF THE SURVEYOR GENERAL, 
 DATED 3RD APRIL (INSTANT.) 
 
 " In reply I beg to say that this subject was already discussed 
 " between Dr. Dawson and myself, and that I concur in the views 
 " which he expressed and which he has, I jiresume, already sub- 
 ** niitted to the Association. I will merely add a few remarks. 
 
 " In the first place, I believe that the privilege of giving names 
 " should be used as si)aringly as j)ossible. Whenever it is j)()ssible 
 *' to ascertain the name used by the inhabitants of the country or 
 " given by former explorers, it should be preserved, unless it be 
 *' such as to create confusion, in which case it should be either 
 ** slightly altered or changed altogether. 
 
 " In the next place, I am of opinion that except in the case of 
 ** unpronouncable Indian names, translations should not be 
 " made. This should be an absolute rule for personal names. I 
 '* might cite instances in which the non-observance of this rule 
 *' has been the cause of confusion and ludicrous mistakes. 
 
 " When a name has to be given, I think that it should be one 
 "suggested by the natural features of the ground or surrounding 
 "country, in preference to any other ; where no peculiarity exists, 
 " then the name of some distinguished person or remarkable occur- 
 " rence, this to be left to the judgment of the ex[)lorer. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM LETTER OF STAFF COMMANDER BOULTON, 
 R.N., DATED MARCH 26th (INSTANT). 
 
 . " I have the honor to submit the following: 
 
 " I. That there should be a Government Officer from whom 
 " Surveyors could ascertain if the geographical feature they are 
 "about to name already possesses one. 
 
 " 2. This curator should possess a copy of every Federal and 
 " Provincial Government map or chart, should have a good 
 " knowledge of French and the Indian languages, so that he may 
 " be an authority for the correct orthography of any names 
 " surveyors may give or report in their maps or charts. 
 
 " 3. That when Indian names are given, the syllabic system by 
 " hyphens should be adhered to as " Ma-ni-to-wa-ning." 
 
 " 4. That when native names are given, the English translations 
 " should be bracketted in alongside of them, if there is room. 
 
 " 5. When Indian names are considered to be too long for 
 " practical use, their English equivalents should be used instead. 
 
6 Memorandum on Geographical Nomenclature. 
 
 " I append hereto for the consideration of the Association a 
 " system of orthography issued by the Admiralty for the guidance 
 " of Admiralty Surveyors abroad : — 
 
 SYSTEM OF ORTHOGRAPHY. 
 
 1. All geographical names in countries which use the Roman 
 character should be spelt as by the respective nations, or as gener- 
 ally recognized by Englishmen. In some cases both forms may 
 be necessary, thus, Livorno (Leghorn). 
 
 2. Names in countries which do not use the Roman character 
 are to be spelt after the following system, except in such cases as 
 by long usage have become familiar to English eyes, thus Calcutta, 
 Cutch, Celebes, Mecca, and similar words, should be written as 
 heretofore. 
 
 3. The true sound of the word as locally pronounced will be 
 taken as the basis of the spelling. 
 
 4. An approximation of the sound is alone aimed at. A system 
 which would attempt to represent the more delicate inflections of 
 sound and accent would be so complicated as only to defeat itself 
 
 5. The broad features of the system adopted are that vowels 
 are pronounced as in Italian and consonants as in English. 
 
 6. One accent only is used, the acute, to denote the syllable on, 
 which stress is laid. This is very important, as the sounds of many 
 names are entirely altered by the misplacement of this ''stress." 
 
 7. Every letter is pronounced. When two vowels come together 
 each one is sounded, though the result, when spoken quickly, is 
 sometimes scarcely to be distinguished from a single sound, as in 
 ai, au, ei. 
 
 The amplification of the rules is given below : — 
 
 Letters. 
 
 Pronunciation and Remarks, 
 
 Examples. 
 
 a 
 
 a/i, a as in father .... 
 
 Java, Banana, Somali. Bari, 
 
 e 
 
 e/i, e as in benefit .... 
 
 Tel-el-Kebir, Ol6Uh, Yezo, 
 Leviika, Peru. 
 
 i 
 
 English i?; tas in ravine; the sound of 
 
 
 
 ee in beet . Thus, not feej'ee, but 
 
 Fiji, Hindi. 
 
 
 
 as in mote 
 
 Tokio. 
 
 u 
 
 long u as in fiute ; the sound of 00 in boo\ 
 
 00 or ou should never be employed for 
 
 this sound. Thus, not Zooloo or Zou- 
 
 
 
 lou,\m. 
 
 Zulu, Sumatra. 
 
 
 All vowels are shortened in soutid by 
 
 Yarra, Tanna, Mecca, Jidda, 
 
 
 doubling the following consonant. 
 
 Bonny. 
 
 
 Doubling of a vowel is only necessary 
 
 Nuulua. 
 
 
 where there is a distinct repetition of the 
 
 
 
 single sound. 
 
 
Memorandum on Ocographical Nomenclature. 
 
 Tjctters. 
 
 Pronunciation and Rr.marks. 
 
 Examples. 
 
 ai 
 
 au 
 
 ao 
 
 ei 
 
 b 
 c 
 
 ch 
 d 
 f 
 
 g 
 
 h 
 
 J 
 k 
 
 kh 
 
 gh 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
 n 
 
 ng 
 
 P 
 
 q 
 
 r 
 
 s 
 t 
 
 V 
 
 w 
 
 X 
 
 y 
 
 English i as in ice .... 
 07V as in Aou . Thus, not Foochow, but 
 is sl'ghtly different from above 
 is the sound of the two Italian vowels, but 
 
 is frequently slurred over, when it is 
 
 scarcely to be distinguished from ey in 
 
 the English they. 
 English b. 
 is always soft, but is so nearly the sound 
 
 of -' that it eshould b seldom used. 
 If Celebis were not already recognized it 
 
 would be written Selebes. 
 is always soft as in church 
 English d. 
 English/, ph should not be used for the 
 
 sound of / . Thus, not Haiphong., 
 
 but ...... 
 
 is always hard. (Soft g is given by/) 
 is always pronounced when inserted. 
 English/. Dj should never be put for this 
 
 sound. 
 English k. It should always be put for 
 
 the hard c. . Thus, not Corea, but 
 The Oriental guttural . . . 
 is another guttural, as in the Turkish 
 
 1 
 
 As in English. 
 
 has two separate sounds, the one hard as 
 in the English word y?«^w, the other as 
 in singer. As these two sounds are 
 rarely employed in the same locality, 
 no attempt is made to distinguish be- 
 tween them. 
 
 As in English. 
 
 should never be employed ; qtt is given 
 as kw 
 
 •As in English. 
 
 is always a consonant, as in yard, and 
 therefore should never be used as a 
 terminal, i or e being substituted, 
 
 Thus, not Mikinddny, but 
 not Kivaly, but 
 
 English s . . • • 
 
 Accents should not generally be used, but 
 where there is a very decided emphatic 
 syllable or stress, which affects the 
 sound of the word, it should be marked 
 by an acute accent. 
 
 Shanghai. 
 Fuchau . 
 Macao. 
 Beirut, Beillu. 
 
 Celebes. 
 
 Chingchin. 
 
 Haifong, Nafa. 
 Galapagos. 
 
 Japan, Jinchuen. 
 
 Korea. 
 Khan. 
 Dagh, Ghazi. 
 
 Kwangtung. 
 
 Sawakin. 
 
 Kikuyu. 
 
 Mikindani. 
 
 Kwale. 
 
 Zulu. 
 
 Tongatabu, Galapagos, 
 
 Palawan, Sarawak. 
 
8 Memorandum on Geogra'phical Nomenclature. 
 
 EXTRACTS REFERRING TO NOMENCLATURE OF GEOGRAI'HI- 
 CAL FEATURES, FROM ADMIRALTY GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 
 FOR IIYDROGRAPHICAL SURVEYORS, 1888, p. 16. 
 
 *' The surveyor should therefore take every pains to ascertain 
 the acknowledged or native names. * * * Where such acknow- 
 ledged names cannot be obtained, then let the surveyor freely give 
 as many as will answer the purpose, but he should avoid the silly 
 repetition of popular names, which so much tends to confuse our 
 gazetteers and to i)erplex our memories. He should beware of 
 tneddling with names already established ; these which have been 
 stamped upon places by the first discoverer are held sacred by 
 the common consent of all nations, and when new ones must be 
 given it would show better taste to make the name convey some idea 
 of the form or character or productions of the i)lace, or some char- 
 acteristic of its inhabitants, than to exhaust the catalogues of public 
 characters or private friends. The officers and crews, indeed, may 
 have some claim to such a distinction, which, slight as it is, help 
 to excite additional interest in a laborious exploring voyage." 
 
 EXTRACT FROM LETTER OF PROFESSOR MACOUN, GEOLOGICAL 
 SURVEY, DATED APRIL I2th (INSTANT.) 
 
 " My work for the last four years has been an examination into 
 " the geographical distribution of our vegetable productions, and 
 " this has led me to use nearly all the geographical names in the 
 *' country. As time passed, I began to see the utter confusion 
 " that existed in the spelling of the various geographical names, 
 " and the evident misapprehension of the origin of many of them. 
 
 " Many places in Quebec and the Northwest have become half 
 •' English and half French, as River du Loup, River de Brig, and 
 *' even Cape d'Espoir, on the Bay of Chaleurs, has become Cape 
 " Despair ; you may imagine how foolish I looked when I said to a 
 " gentleman as we i)assed along it on a calm day, that it was well 
 •' named Despair, for there would be no hope for any vessel forced 
 "upon the cliffs. The answer was: 'You are wrong regarding 
 " the name, as it means the Cape of Hope, not the Cape Despair, 
 " as you seem to think.' 
 
 " In conversation with the French translators at the House, I 
 " find they are troubled over this putting an English dress on a 
 " French for/n, which there is no warrant for except our loose 
 *' habit of writing what we think, and ignoring authority. 
 
 " Taking this view of the matter, I would recommend that your 
 " Committee press upon the Surveyor General the necessity of 
 "adopting at once some uniform method of spelling the old 
 
Memorandum on Qeoijraphical Nomenclature. 9 
 
 " geographical names of every part of Canada, and would suggest 
 " that he go back to the first authoritative map of the country for 
 *' the spelling. In doing this it would be very easy to make out 
 •'acomi)lete (leographical Dictionary of the whole Dominion, and 
 '• we would have s])elling and derivation in a most valual)le form. 
 
 " Sooner or later, this will have to be done, and it is probable a 
 " person could be found who would undertake the task for the love 
 " of the work." 
 
 Very little need be added b\ the Committee to the remarks 
 
 of the gentlemen submitted herewith, but for illustration and to 
 
 show clearly the necessity for action in this matter, the following 
 
 instances of erroneous naming of ])oints and letter to the Montreal 
 
 Witness may be of interest : 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A MEMORANDUM OF MR. R. H. HUNTER, 
 DATED 6th APRIL (INSTANT). 
 
 " St. Clements Point, liake Winnipeg. On this point is situated 
 " the small hut of a fur trader, named Jack Clements, a native of 
 " Michigan ; in consequence of his residence there during the past 
 " few years, the point has become known to the frequenters of the 
 " Lake as Clement's Point. Up to date, Mr. Clements has not 
 " become canonized. 
 
 " Fort St. Frances, Rainy River District. This post of the 
 " Hudson's Bay Company was named Fort Frances nearly sixty 
 " years, in honor of Lady Frances Simpson, the wife of the Gov- 
 "ernor of the H. B. Co. Although Lady Simpson was a devout 
 'Christian and highly esteemed and beloved by all who had the 
 »' honor of her acquaintance, yet there is no record of her being 
 " canonized. 
 
 " Lake St. Joseph, Albany River District. Although this Lake is 
 " so named on the maps of the Department of the Literior and the 
 " Department of Railways and Canals, the name is entirely un- 
 " known to the residents of the district ; it is known by them as 
 " Lake Albany, and sometimes as the Big Lake Albany, in contra- 
 " distinction to a small lake of the same name, some hundred miles 
 " or so to the Northwest. It is true that the Lake has been known 
 " to the French Canadian 'fur traders, or " coureurs de bois," as 
 " Lac Joseph, but these traders never called it Lac St. Joseph. 
 
 "Blood River, east side of Lake Winnipeg. This should be 
 " Bloodvein River, the former name being unknown to the resi- 
 " dents of the vicinity. The name is given the river on account of 
 " the red veins running or intermixed in the granite formation 
 " through which the river runs. 
 
10 Mehiorandum on Oeographiccd Nomenclature. 
 
 ** On some of the Government maps a portion of the Lake of 
 ** the Woods is imjjroperly called Clear Water Lake, this name is 
 " quite unknown to the residents and natives of that section ; the 
 " name has evidently been introduced by some surveyor or 
 " draughtsman." 
 
 DUPLICATION OF NAMES, LETTER TO MONTREAL WITNESS. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 " Your reference in a recent issue to the duplication of the names 
 *' of [)laces raises a very important cpiestion. It seems to me that, 
 " at least in the Northwest, the names of all important physical 
 " features in the country, as rivers, mountains, lakes, bays, etc., 
 " should be in the hands of the Surveyor General at Ottawa, so as 
 " to avoid duplication. The matter, I understand, has been brought 
 " before the attention of the Minister of the Interior, with a view of 
 " having duplication remedied there before the country becomes 
 "more settled, and before these duplicate names creep into hun- 
 " dreds of deeds, books, reports, etc., when change will be exceed- 
 " ingly difficult. Our own Northwest is not the model in respect 
 " of duplication which you think it is. At present, we have four 
 " Saskatchewan Rivers, including the North Branch, the South 
 " Branch, the Little Saskatchewan at Minnedosa, and the Little 
 *' Saskatchewan, between Lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg. In the 
 " works of Hooker, Richardson and others, it is often impossible 
 " to ascertain whether the north or the south branch of the Sas- 
 "katchewan is intended, and yet these two streams are 140 miles 
 " apart. There are two large Red Deer Rivers, one flowing into 
 " Lake Winnipegoosis, the other into the South Saskatchewan 
 " There are two imi)ortant Pembina Rivers, one in Manitoba, the 
 " other near Edmonton, but a tributary of the River Athabaska. 
 *' There is a large Shoal Lake near Winnipeg and a smaller but 
 " better known Shoal Lake near Birtle. Lakes and rivers named 
 " after birds and other animals, as Swan, Heron, Pelican, Rat 
 " Beaver, etc., are repeated in some cases several times. I have 
 " never been able to see why the Indian names, where sufficiently 
 "euphonious and ap[)ropriate, have not been retained. As the 
 " surveys annually made by the Department of the Interior and 
 " Geological Survey ])rogress, new or little known lakes, rivers, etc., 
 " are being constantly outlined, and, in such cases, there should be 
 " no difficulty in giving appropriate names. 
 
 " In the older settled districts it is possible that an act of Parlia- 
 " ment might be required to make changes. 
 
 A. T. D." 
 
Memorandum on Geographical nomenclature 11 
 
 The subject is one which has no doubt received more or less 
 attention from all persons engaged in any way in compiling maps 
 or dealing with geographical names, and all must have noticed the 
 many errors and inconsistencies that exist in oi'r geographical 
 nomenclature. 
 
 The Committee suggest the following scheme for adoption by 
 the Government, to correct the many errors now existing and to 
 prevent their re-occurrence : — 
 
 1. That some Officer of the Government l)e charged with the 
 duty of collecting all the informnUon necessary to enable him to 
 compile a complete Geographical Dictionary of the Dominion, 
 somewhat after the same style as that compiled for the Province 
 of Quebec, by the late Surveyor General Bouchette of Quebec, 
 published in 1832 ; and that all names as given by this Dictionary 
 be officially confirmed, and the Dictionary thus become an 
 authentic book of reference. 
 
 2. That it would be well that this Dictionary cover the whole 
 Dominion, but if it be considered objectionable that the Depart- 
 ment of Interior revise names at present existing in the older 
 Provinces, then at least the maps of Manitoba, the Northwest 
 Territories and British Columbia, and all sparsely settled districts 
 generally should come under revision. 
 
 3. That special care should be taken to avoid duplication of 
 names. Where several rivers, lakes or other natural features have 
 the same name, and where the question of priority cannot be 
 decided, the difficulty should be avoided by the use of synonyms 
 in different languages — e.g.. Red Deer, Elk, Wapiti, &c. ; Saskat- 
 chewan Rapid, Rolling, Swift, &c. 
 
 4. That the Surveyor General, being in the opinion of the 
 Committee the proper person, be charged with the duty of com- 
 piling this Dictionary, 
 
 5. That all names given by explorers in new tracts of country 
 be submitted to the Surveyor General, and after approval by him 
 be entered in the Geographical Dictionary before being shown on 
 any maps or plans issued by the Government. 
 
 6. That the system of nomenclature and orthography suggested 
 by Dr. Dawson, the Surveyor General, Captain Boulton and others 
 as herein quoted, be followed as nearly as possible, and to further 
 this end a memorandum of instructions should be issued by the 
 Surveyor General for the guidance of all persons conducting 
 explorations in new or unknown districts, and who may be called 
 upon to give names to geographical features met with by them. 
 
l2 Memorandum on Geographical Nomenclature. 
 
 It may be pointed out that the only branches of the Govern- 
 ment service that arc engaged in conducting Geographical explo- 
 rations in unknown portions of the Dominion are the survey 
 branch of the Department of the Interior and the Geological 
 Survey, both of which are under the control and direction of 
 the Hon. the Minister of the Interior ; and also that all the maps 
 or plans of Manitcba, the Northwest Territories and parts of 
 British Columbia are prepared under his direction, it would 
 therefore, be possible for him to take such action as would giv^e 
 immediate effect in a large measure to the suggestions herein 
 contained. 
 
 Signed on behalf of the Committee, 
 
 E. J. RAINBOTH, 
 
 President, 
 
9/^^y