IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I *^ Ui 1112.2 «. . mil 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 !'•* « 6" — ► /'I /^ yS^ / O 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY M580 (716)872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions his:oriques Tachnical and Bibliographic Notas/Notaa tachniquas at bibliographiquas Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua. which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. D D D D D D n Colourad covars/ Couvartura da coulaur I I Covars damagad/ Couvartura andommagde Covers rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura rastauria at/ou palliculAe □ Covar title missing/ La titre da couvartura manqua r~p| Colourad maps/ LxJ Cartas giographiquas an coulaur Colourad ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ RbM avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajout^es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 film^es. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires: L'Institut a microfilm6 la mailleur exempiaira qu'il lui a its possible da se procurer. Las details da cat exempiaira qui sont paut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographiqua, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de filmage tont indiquAs ci-dessous. D D D V D n Coloui-ed pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur^as et/ou pellicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^color^es, tachat^es ou piques Pages detached/ Pages ddtachies Showthrough/ Transparence Tf to T\ P< of fil Oi Li th sii ot fil si< or I I Quality of print varies/ Quality indgale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Tf sh Tl wl M dii er be rlj re Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Las pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure. etc., ont 6t6 film6es d nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmi au taux de rMuction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 7 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X tails du odifier une mage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library, Gtological Survey of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire filmi fut reproduit grAce A la gAnArositA de: BibliothAque, Commisiion Gtologkiue du Canada Let images suivantes ont AtA reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettetA de I'exempiaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimAe sont filmAs en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniAre page qui comporte une empreintn d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le tecond plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmAs en commenpant par la premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded ^rame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —»> (meaning "CON- TINUED "). or the symbol V (meaning 'END "), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Map^. f:ia'-^», <^hatts, etc., may be filmed at differerv iuction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the apper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmAs A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film6 & partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant ie nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. trrata to pelure, n A n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA G. M. DAWSON, C.M.G., LL.I)., F.U.S., Dikkctoh REPORT ON TIIK COUNTRY IX TIIK VICIXI 1 V ()I« BED LAKE AM> lAKT <»K TIIK liASIiN OF BERK?^S RIVEU KEEWMTIX nv I). H. 1)()\VL.IN(J, 15. Ai>. Sr. li { OTTAWA PRINTKI) nv S. K. DAWSON. I'ltlNTKU TO THK (/UKKN'S MOST KXCKI-LKNT M.V.I KSTY 1896 II ■ I ^ W^nn^ —iwA W H W i i i miU i rt a wn yW^* Mk ' % To (}Kon ti report on the country explorofl (hirin>{ four uiontlis ot' tlio sutninor of 1893. It is nccessurily of a preliuiinury clmract^'r, as the exploration was intended as the coni- nienoenient of further examinations of the area lying In-tween Lac Seul and I lie Iferens River, and from Cat Lake westward to the Winni|M'g map-sheet. No pul)Ii.shen'LTN(:. \ H Xoli;. -.1// ///.' /i-iirlii'/H i,intin„.-il ill /his /iV/,„r/ nr,' irif/i rrfrnnrr III llir (rill' iiwrididii. REPORT •)N TIIK 0»l NTKV IN Till-: VICINITY <>K KKD LAKK .\NI» PAItT OF TIIK HASIN OF MKUKNS inVKll. KK i:\VATIN. Till' |ti'rsi'iit n'|i<>wiiliii. Tlu' nirn roiiipiiscd in tlw rcjKitt lii's just to the ciiHt t' tiie I'lovincc i>f Ontario. It extends from tin* Kn;,'lisli itiver and Lar Scul, noiili wauls to Mcirns Kixcr, tlio caNti'fM Idancli of wliieii tornis approxiniHtcly, tin- nortluTii limit of the area. To tlie oast, the cxpluiation includes the heads of streaniN flowing eastward to Cat Lake, and on th<' west llie White lUxcr. a southern l)ran(li of MertMis Hiver, with the \\t>.->tern end of Ked l^ike, contine it.s exteiil in tiiat direction. Tlie map wlucli illustratf'H the area, sh0 N., and l>etw(M'n h)n),'itude 1)1' lU and IM 1.")' west of (ireenwieh, an area of t'lMOO Hijuare miles. A sketch map*, showing; the posit ion a.st, lia\ in^, prob- iibly, its hi^'h)>st |M)int iM-twccn the wat«'rs of Cat I.aki' HImt and l.ac Seul. To tiie west, in the virinity of l^nni,'le;';,'c(l I^akc, il rises to I'JUll anil \'M)0 fe-t, or sixty feet and u|iwanl above Lac Seul. N<»rth of IJed I^ike, the |Mtrta){e at llie hui^dit-of hind to White Hiver is at IHOO feet, wliile north of Tnnit Li;ke it is (diisiderably liij^lier, as tliis lake itself stands at nearly i.'lUU feet. The Woman I'oitai,'e, betw<'en Sha- booinene unii Woniiiii hikes, is eiilinialed lu l)U at liirjO feel al>ove sea- level. The j;eneral surface of all this bjusin, is of a rouj^h, rocky character, with small an-is U-tween the riilyes, of alluvial and j{lacial deposit.s. Across the nTth-eastern part, a stroiiii ridjie of ylacial niateii.d foiins a loiijj; and nearly straight line, throuyli which two stre.uns ha\e cut. It is much more stron^dy market near Trout Lake, and there cleavly forms a dam, retainini; the waters of that lake. All tlu; other lakes are exidently in rock b.isins, surroun(h>d by rocky hills. Tin- higher parts of the r«»c"ky country forminj; the remainder of tlie basin, show ' ery litth- coverini,' of drift material of any sort, except a few Ixiulders, with sjind in the \alley.s. North of the Trout Lake ridjje, the most noticeable feature is the enormous numl>er of boulders on the shore of tlie lake. TciiN.t'iiii'liy A'//''/ iif ijiohnjiritl iouilifi"iis mi ffii' fojtoi/nijJif/. — In f^enoral, that '""'"'""■ i>art of the country in wliich the surface is of f,'Meiss and schist, is lumpy, with hilU ali^jned in vid/ies, but the surface level is more or less a sloping? plane. In areas in which lij;lit-e describetl as forming basins. The general surface of the countrj* is ap[»arently higher than elsewhere, but it con- tains deeper depre.«.sions, which are occupied i)y lakes. In tracing out the line of contact of the granite with the green Huronian schists of t(» BC»i"»w ] PIIYHlr.\t- FKATrtJKS — t.AKK ilAHINS. 7 K Hcd Ijiiko, it is found tliat no;ii-ly half tho tirnn uf thu luko is uiiiicrliiiii liy ){ninite, so tliiit this hiko is not |iro|)erly (ieHcril)<>(l as a liasin in the lliironian rocks, thoii>,'h i hf j,'rpatpr part of its nortliorn arms and Ituya arc t-ntii'fly within that arua. It will l)c noticed on reference to the map that, altln)iitili the Hur- Tn.ui Lake, ciiian areas are evidently well sprinkled with lakes, still the lar>;est liasin of all, Trout I^ake, is alto;;etliei' heyond thoin and is most pro- hiibly not a rojk Wvsin at all, the southern side being adam of morainic material. The suj,'j^e-ition that this is the case arises from the fact that not only are tluMC hut oms or two low rock -exposures along the nortluMn foot of this ridge, hut, that the lake; lying only tliree or four miles to the south of Trout Lak«', over this ridge, is estimated to lie about one hundred and fifty feet Jielow, and is fed by two small streams having their origin in the hills between, and carrying relatively more water than the suudi area they are supposed todr.iin, would naturally jinsluce. liiiiitiv /iii(//i/s iif Idki's. — Fn order to obtain a relative scale of Idi^'ht.'* of heights for the lakes and hills in the district, an estimate of all the ,.p„' j'^j,,',, ' various falls in the ri\ers and on j)urtages was carried from th<' railway through to Ueiens Hiver by both routes followed. TIh' aneroid barometer was used on lung jxjrtages and in measuring the height of hills. The estimated heights above sea-level of t he principal lakes in this area, obtainetl in the al)ove manner, are as follows: — FlH't. [.Ill- Sful 1 140 Kii^'lish Hivcr at MiUtiiwa I !(>.'» Slmllow I-iikr 1 lO,-> bitli.' Sliallciw Lake IIIK) Niiid Bar bake, Kiiglisli KiviT I<»;{.-) Wilcox Lake, Knylisii River I0:K) I^oiiH-lej.'s;e(l Lake (Lower) II 73 I^oiijiiejjged Lake ( Upper ) 1 17."« Cull Rock Lake ll4tJ Red Lake 1 148 l-ittle Red Luke, or Little Veriniiion Lake 1 173 Lake at lieijjlit of land iiortli of Red Lake I'i.Vt \\n)i Lake, soutli of Red I,akc r_'»i(i Upper Medicine Stone Lake I'JIU Lower Medicine .Stone l^kc I'JtMl Trout Lake RK).") Snake Lake Iir7(» Little Hear F^ke RilO Woman I^ike K ijiki- i:i.-iosiires. The tiiiilKM' is mostly Itanksian piiio of small si/.e. Itetweeii tiie falls and short rapids there is a very lif^ht current, so that it is easily navi^rated, e\iept iha^ in the upper put. near the lake, there are numeidus short {(ortaii's whiih take time to surmount. Two miles beyond the ei;;li I eon foot fall, is another of twenty feet, with a portaj{e of seventy vards, this is followed in a v a fall of thirty feet, with a portaye of one hundred yards. From a short distance lielow this fall to near a small lake expan- sion two miles alxivc, the borders of the river are friii;;ed with rushes and wild rice, with sanily country liehind covered by a close growth of slender Itinksian pine. Occasionally, on lower ;,'rouiid small patches of spruce and tamarack occur, in which are seen a few trees over eighteen inches in iliaineter. The small lake wliiih the river passes tlirou;rh has originally been a b •as in of two miles in lei.^rth andai|uarter of a mile in wii ■K'l V laken. lliil Milli'V <•!• (Ifpifssiuii iM'twfcii lii^litT ritlyc.-. uml kiioltH of >{ii»'iH8. 'I'lie Mtrt'iitn iiiisscs nrar u lii^li siccji in;Lred lakes, hut still is of no very Ipixr lake, great extent. It might he called a rectangle in shape, with one dia- gonal running eastand-west and having sides of three miles each. The river leaves hy the eastern end, just north of which runs a narrow arm of a mile and a half in length to the north-east. At the south eiul. a short hay hreaks the reuularity of the shfire, hut at the west end there an- two hays, the one forming a small lake with a narrow entrance. This hay is a mile in diameter, while the one on the north is smaller and likewise nearly cut oil" from the main lake. The islands are mostly narrow ridges of gneiss running north-east and south-west. The hills surrounding this western lake are much higher than to the east, and it appeals to lie at fi i' I 10 K DISTRICT OF KEEWATIN. Mattawa Hivcr. the extrcnu' w»'sterii limit of the watershed. A stream entei-s the west bay, but it is a very small one feil by two or three large muskegs and small lakes lying immediately behind the fust ridge, west oi which again higher lidges are st'en. We oli'nbed several hills to the west of these two bays and found them to be iirineipally eonijxtsed <»f horizontal beds of gneiss, broken and tissured l)y large dykes of pinkish granit<>. The most western hill was almost entirely granite, sending out wide dykes of pinkish coloured granites thrcugh the broken gneiss to the eastward. Muttiiiiii River. — ^The largest stream joining the English l^iver on the iHUth side, below Lae Scul, is the Mattawa. This enters at what was formerly an Indian re.scrve, l)ut where there is now oidy a Hud- son's liay Cmipany s tiading post calli d Mattawa. The river to which the name aj)plies. is l)ut a short strip of sluggish water connecting the Knglish Jtiver and Shallow Lal banks are twenty to thirty feet aliovt' tilt' water. Here tlu- first luvuy fall occurs, caused hy a Ixind of dark st-hists. The portage past this, leads up a steep l»ank of clay and santi on the west side, to thirty feet above the river, and along a Ie\ el terrace, descending witl) a more easy sloj)e to the river aliove. The distance is 2.'iO yards, and the fall in the river fifteen feet. At alxtut half a mile al)ove this, there is another small fall of ten feet. Althoujih rock in ]>lacp is seen at the foot of the fall, the obstruction seem to be occasioned by a great accumulation of Imulders, and in the river, just above, large angular boulders of granite nearly fill the chan' nel. Their presence is accounted for by the fact that the river here cuts through a ridge of nKtraiiiic material, which is seen to lie a .-pur from a high ridge runiung oH' to the north-east. The portage in on the east side, and is one hundred y arils long. Farther up, the stream is wide and has little current to the next fall, the general course being to the north-west, but including a long curve to the south. Here an accumulation of b«iulders in the bed of the stream causes a rapid with a fall of twelve feet, to psuss which there is a jwrtage road of 170 yanls on the west side. The upjwr part of the ri\er to (JuU Hock Lake, is a succession of small lake-stretches, with a wide river-channel connecting them, in which the current is api)reciable in one place only, where there is a hollow bar. The timber on the banks is mostly poplar of a fair size with a sprinkling of birch and black spruce. The birch average twelve inches in diameter, but only a few of the spruce trees were found over eighteen inches. .lust to the east of Gull Rock Lake, a snijill lake-e.\pan.=ion of less than two miles in diameter is cros.setl. On this a light granite with slight foliation is seen, and the same rock is prolwibly to \>e found on the river below, though no exposures were met with. fi'ii/f lidc.k Art/v.^This lake, which lies immediately to the ea.st of Red Lake, with its longest diameter north-and-.south, has a total lenirth of eight miles.. The inlet and outlet are on the south-west and south- east sides respectively. The northern part is narrow, but towards the .•south the lake widens out to four miles. A string of i.slands runs across .south of the middle, and others are scattered along the east- ern and southern shoies. 'J'o the south, the shores are high an«l b«jl«l, but to the north more gradual slopes prevail, while on the western side ^1 UKl) LAKK IIASIX. ,13 P rii«'st(jin' r.Hy. one bold liill of <(ranite is conspicuous. A siniill creek at the north end, leads to another lake of three miles in extent, occupyini^ the same trough, lieyond which is a high ridge separating tliese waters from Trout Lake. A deep channel joins Gull IJock Lake with the western end of a small lake called Keg Lake, lying to the north-west, and a short j)ortage connects the two, saving ahout three miles of travel by the river. Red Lake. — ^About three miles west of Keg Liike by the river, is Hed Lake, the entrance to Red Lake. No idea of its size or shape can be formed on inspection, as from the great number of islands .ind the irregular shape of its shores no great view of any extent of water is seen, and it is imly by traversing the whole of its shores that its area can l>e appre- ciated. The largest open part is that which is enteretl first. From this to the west, extends a long tiairow aim, which contracts in several places to less than a (piarter of a mile. At the western end, a narrow, crooked channel connects with what is called Pi{>est<>ne l»ay. a small expansion of two miles in diameter, where the Indians obtain stone f(»r making pipes. This is a soft compact chlorite and the pieces they use are from loose bouldeis, though the rt)ck was seen in place in a thin band, in the narrows. An ai"m or long bay runs to the north-east from the main body of J'last r.ay. the lake, and connects by a narrows with a long lake lying aUtut parallel to its course, on the east, joining it at about two miles from its northern end. This addition is about six miles long and less than a mile wide, and lies in a trough in the Huronian, the shores following in the main the strike of the rocks. The total distance from the extreme north-ea-itern end of this bay to Siz<' <>{ lakf. the western end of Fi})estone Uay, is twenty-seven miles in a west- south-west direction. At right ;ingles to this, the greatest breadth, which is from the outlet northward to the end of a Ijay on the north side, is roughly seven miles. The forest about this lake is somewfiat varied, sjirnce and Bank- l-'orcst. sian pine alternating as the dominant tpes. On all the dry and sandy ground a thick growth of slender Banksian pine is found, and no trees of large size are apparently to be seen in such areas : but in the valleys and near the lakes, black spruce is occasionally met with, fornj- ing small groves scattered through the forests of deeiduous trees. Individual trees of larger size are conunon f>n the islands and pfiints over which forest fires have not run, and such trees may attain in some instan- ces a diameter of twenty inches, but the average is under eighteen inches. 11 F ItlSTKICT OK KEKWATIN. TrilnitaripK. Stream fnmi ]iu^ Likkc. Strt'ani fmni Mfdiciiif Stune I^kes. Birch and poplar are almost always jiresent wherever the soil adiiiits. On the richer and lower ground, between Red Jjjike and (iuU Rock I^ike, and farther down the river, the poplar trees are well yrown and appear in groves in which nearly all the trees average eighteen inches in diameter near the base. Farther to the w«stwai-d on the higher ground, the soil being sandy, the Hanksian pine is more abundant, and neiir the western end of Pipestone Hay, some trees of red pine form a small grove, which appears to be the northern limit of the species in this biLsin. Strfiam» floii'imj to the Red Lake baxin.- The streams flowing from the south t^) (Jul! Hook Lake and Hed Lake are all rather small. The first one examined was a small stieam draining Stone li-ike, and emptying into tlie south bay of (iuU Hock Dike. This proved to be very .shallow, and the lake is of small size lying l)etween hills of granite, with occasionally fragments of Iluronian rock canght up in it, showing at a few j>oints on the lake. Another lake lying further to the west, called Hug Lake, drains l)y a sm.'ill creek to the western extremity of the south bay of (Jul! Hock l..iike. The valley in which this lake and stream lie, runs west by south-west from (iull Hock Lake, f llowing the strike of the gneisses and altered rocks. The distance from lake to lake by the ri\er is al»out four miles, with two miles of tlu' western part over a lake con- nected with Hug Lake by a short reach of sluggish river. The ujiper part of the stream is very shallow and is overhung by tall gray willow bushe-s, making travelling along it dithcult. Two portages were made piist rapids. The fall at the lower one is seventy feet and at the next forty feet, so that the lake lies at an elevation of about one hundred and twenty feet above (juU Hock Lake. From a Imy on the south-west, a portage leads to a small lake drain- ing to Hetal length is six miles, witii a (:|,|«.,. ^|,.,|i. bremltli ivvt'riii'iiiL' half a niih!. Tiie north-west shore is liold and is of V'",' ^^'""' . . Lakf. granite, wliih* the south »'ast is if)wer and shows fewer exposures, principally altered rocks and dark green eruj)tives, with granite in a f«jw places. Hetween the points the shores are mostly of angular houlders. The gneisses of the southern part of the lake run in about the averages direction of the length of the lake. The stream enters at the eastern end and the outlet is from a bay on the north slion; about two mih's to the west. From the south-western end, tiiere is a portage of a mile to the .south, to a small lake draining to the ujiper part of Long-legged Lake. LoN'i-r Jfcdicine Stone Lake. — A short stream connects the two Medi- Lowjt >[«Hli- cino lakes falling into the ejistern end of the lower. This is somewhat i „)' ' similar in character to the former, in that it is a long narrow lake, but it runs more toward thi* west. It is about the .same length, but broadens out to nearly a mile at the western end. On the southern shore, which is low, is to be found only drift material, but the north side is bold with hills of gnei.ss running to the west and rising steeply. At its outlet, at the eastern end, on alow point surround(;d by trees, R< iii!iikal)lf is a tall boulder of gneiss, left standing on edge by the ice. The *""••'• dimensions of this stone are : height above surface fifteen feet, U'ngth fifteen feet, breadth or thickne.ss near the top, (>iglit t'eet, nairowing near the ground to live. This stone was of course an object of wonder to the Int" Hcd I>i»k<*, a snmll stroiuii fulls with heavy I'apids into the Ion;,' arm or hay smith of Pipestone Bay, ealleil Trout Ha}*. This drains a long onHikei»ls from the eontact line. The upward extension of this streanj, wliieh llows thiDui^h sevenil small lakes, passes through an area of appaiently altered llurotiian which has been split off from the Ked Ltike band. The u|>per lake reached is altogether surrounded by granite. The streams entei'in;; the northern side of Hed fjike aie all of small si/e, with the exception of hort portages, (gradually the hills approach the river, sandy ridges covered with scrub pine lieing suc- ceeded by hills of granite. The stream is then a series of dead water stretches, separated by short falls. The average course up to the lakes at the height-f)f-land is north-west, and the distance from Little Ver- milion Lake to the portage at the hi'ight-of-land is alxiut fifteen miles. The estimated fall from its source to Hed Lake is 100 feet. OOMUNO TROUT LAKE RIVKR. 1 7 V The trail leading in White Hiver, the southern branch of Berens lliver, is one mil*- in len;,'th, orossinj; rid;,'es of s'''i"ite and gneiss, fairly well coven'd by spriu-e and poplar. By readings of the aneroid barometer, the lakes on either- side are at aUmt the same elevation, while the ridge rises thirty or forty feet higher. Trout Lake Rirt-r. — To the east (»f the higli jK»int, on the north side of Little Shallow Lake, lies the mouth of this river in a low marshy bay. To the north-east, for seven miles, the country is low, so that the river runs with widcf channel in a fairly .straight cour.s(>. The banks are from four to eight feet, rising gradually from the lake> where they are very low. The trees near the river are mostly poplar, with slender spruce on the lower land just Ix^hind. Occasionally Banksian pine is seen on the dryer parts. The Hrst fall met with is over an accumulation of boulders, derived from a ridge of sand and Iniulders through which the river has evidently cut its way. At the fiMjt of the fall the Indians form large camps in the autumn to catch whitefish as they are ascending the river to the spawning grounds. The banks immediately aliove are of sand with boulders at the Iwtttom. These are found of all sizes and coIouin, the largest being of dark green rock, probably transported but a short distance. The obstruction formed by these boulders, there lieing no njcks seen in place, causes a fall of ten feet. For two miles and a half alxjve the first fall, the country seems low, and the river runs in a fairly even course from the north east, but at this distance a heavy series of falls is encounteied. Near this are exposed in the banks dark-green r(»cks, which at the fall are cut by light reddish granite. These are crossed by the river above, and «>vi(lently cause the fall which is estimated at sixty feet, and a portage of four hundred yards is made on the north-west side. Above this a slK)rt distance, is another series of short rapids round a long bend, amount- ing to a fall of ten feet. A portage of two hundred and fifty yards is made across the bend. A (piarter of a mile north west is the Manitou Fall, where the channel contracts, and the water pours over a band of fine-grainwl gneiss, making a j>erpendicular fall of fifteen feet. The direction of the river between these last two large falls is nearly at right-angles to its general course, and in this distance it appears to cross a wide band or area of intrusive granite. Above the Manitou Fall, after a few irregular liends, it regains its former course. Cat Fall, the next abos »•, is a narrow chute between dark -green hornblende rock of eruptive origin. The descent is about four feet, and a portage is seldom made. Alxtve this the river broar a ii(lj;e lisinji thirty fi'cl ,il)o\e the river at the upper end. and l»y exposuics on the trail tht; hill seemed to he principally of l)oulder- clay. Hetween this point and the junction with Woman Lake Kiver, the course is directly .south hut with numy minor hends antl little falls throuj.jh a swampy tract, in which hills of feet aboNc Snake Lake, the ascent beiim «listributed amoiiii six small falls, in a stretch of a mile in lem^th. .\ narrow .and crooked lake, six miles in len<;th, succeeds the expansion called Little l$ear Lake, and by a icach of river .i mile in length is connected with the southern end of Woman Lake. WoiiKin I.iikr. — A lon^' narrow l;ike expansion extends to the north- east for seven miles. Turninij noith, the lake widens to much larger dimensions, having an average width of a mile, for five miles of its course. This part is thickly dotted with islands, while the shores ar(! bold, rising in high hills Itehiml. The total length is alxtut. four- ter'ii miles. At the northern end, a small stream le.uls to a couple of lakes lying to the north-east. This is the most northerly point of the Woman Lake basin, as a portage of a mile, from the upper lake brings us to the waters Mowing north-east to Cat Like Kiver and ul- timatel}' to .Tames Bay. Three lakes to the south, lying east of Woman Lake, drain directly north to this point. The tirst two are called Clearwater Lakes, and »JNO 1 TROfT t.AKK HASIN. 19 F tlip last, Fly I^kf. They arc loii);, narrow strips of water, with many islands, and arc similar in cliaractcr and surroundings to Wonuin [>ake. TIk' fall from Kiy Ijik«», the head-waters uf this hramh, to Woman Lake, is estimateil at forty-two feet, or from I'My 1/ike to the I'in^ilish lliser, at Mattawa, l")! feet. It is found on passinj,' throufjh theso lakes, that they oecupy a tiouj^h or trou;{hs in dark lluronian loi'ks. Their narrow hasins closely folhjw t,he .strike t)f the IhhIs, Trim/ l,aki\ — The position of this lako is to the north-east of Red Tiimt Luk*-. and Uull Hm-k lakes, l)ut a few miles from them. Its extreme lenyth is sixteen miles and its hreadth thirteen, with an avcra<:je width of eight miles. Its ;,'reatest diamt^ter lies alntut ea.'st north, east or almost parallel to that of Hed Lake, and nearly in tlu; same general line. It is not, however, of the same hroken and irregular character. Numerous isljinds an- scattered thiough it. hut in the central poition is a large open sheet of water. < )n the northern sidt; are two large hays, the western one being a long narrow arm. stretching to the north-east, with a group of islands at its mouth. At the northern corner another large l»ay is found, almost tilled with islands, and acro.ss its mouth a string (»f long islands extend from the eastern shore. The river leaves the lake at the south-west cornel- of a large hay on the south side. Kastwaid. another arm stretches for three or four miles, leaving a long peninsula, on the extreme end of which, in foiiner times, the Hudson's Hay Company maintained a trading estahlishment. The south-western shore is regular and is determined hy a long .Moniinio ridge of morainic material, chiefly sand and boulder.s, which extends ^^^ ^*'' in a continuous line from the western extremity of the lake south- eastward, hoidering the scan h western shore of Little Trout Lake, and appai-eiitly running in the same direction till it cross(>s the river at the lowest lapid. The height of this ridge just opposit' is sometimes used hy the Indians as a means of getting to Pine Lake. The river is small and . 37. '1 WENA.SSACA RIVEII. 21 r wind, ayiiinst wliioli, had it hocn itk our t'ucoH, we could not hiivp iimde nny liciidwuy. We retnifed our rout«» until (!u!l Ii4iki' was reached, 1111(1 folloM-iu^ u cliaruM'l for iihout two miles, which ciitfrs tii«> lake on the west side, wc caiim to another \iivnc lake, al>o called (Jull Uike, as it forms a |)art of the same body of water, and it is alK)Ut the same size as that part of the lake ci'oHsed hy the travei-se line, or al)out five miles in diameter. The shores of that part crossed hy the line are pretty reiiular, hut the westerly shores are deeply indented with larye i)ays and olV^hoots from the lake, .\scendin;; a small ci-eek from (Jul! r^ake for about six miles, we reached the heij,'ht-of land porta^je, the first part of which was about three-ijuarters of a mile in len;{th, and muske;^ nn)st of the way. We then came to a small lake which was frozen over, and were delayed for a time breaking a channel throu^^h the ice. After crossing; twf» small lakes and three portaj,'es we reached a small stream, which, after a (hCy's travel attained the dimensions of a fair sized river, called by the Indians Wenassa^ja .Measil)i, which we followed to Lac Seul. liy this route thei'c are altogether twenty-seven portages from Cat Lake to .Mattawa varying from one chain to alK)Ut a mile in length. The highest single fall would not exceetl thirty feet of a direct descent, but altogether the stream from its source to Lac Seul must fall from 100 to ")00 feet ; and as the st it-am is a large one, witli a plentiful supply of water, it would afford any amount of force in the form of water-power, which could be utilized should the country ever become a manufacturing one. In a few places I noticed .soil of vege- <^,i| ^^j jj„| table mould and clay loam, which would be well suited for the growtii *"•■• of grain and veg<^tal)les should the climatic coiulitions be favourable. I also observed here that the iiest soil generally produced a growth of poplar, and wherever it appeared larg(! and thrifty, good soil might l)e looked for, comparatively free from rock. On the roiky ridges, as usual, scrubby pine was the prevailing timber, while the Hats and muskegs were invariably covered with spruce and tamarack. The good land noticed seemed to be in belts three or four miles wide and extending north and south for a considerable distance, as might 1k> expected from the geological formation, the depressions and elevations succeed each other in very regular order and much in the same direction. In places the spruce and tamarack would attain a growth of two feet in diameter and a goml height, but this was not the rule — ten or twelve inches was about the average." .11 In its lower part this stream passes through two moderate sized j .^j^,.^ , lakes. The first, Wen-astega-o Lake is situated at a couple of miles l"""tr i from Lac Seul at an elevation of sixteen feet above it. This fall in the river occasions three rapids, the first of wliich has a fall of six feet ii il ^'m 1 '2'2 V KINTUKT uy KKKWATIN. ' i niuffv Lak. Whit Uiv Miiin !i1k)V(' Lak.'. iiml in II iiiilx from tlie inoiilli. A siniill rapid just HlM>vf>, is iiuxt trai-kod up, nl>n\(> wliich to lU'iir tlio i)uti)>i of llir lakn tiut rivt'i- is tli'fp and (•lusily iia\i^ut*>d. iluslat tlir uiitirt, a l)and nt' inicaicous ^iiciss t'nriiis a Wanit-r and tln" rivi'r tails tliico 4»i tour t'crt. A sliort piirUi){(*on the weMt hank lemls to tin- laki- wliidi is tliri><> uiilnM ionu and (in« iiri>ail. On tlio wont «id»' runs a iii^ii riti;;*' »»t' hills, of i,'ranitc and ;;nfiss. On till- cast tlif liills are lownr, and the cxjuisurrs of rock form llat ;;lafi- at»'d suifaiTs, while ir> one locaiily the waters of the laktf have worn into a hank of sand, laying hare fifteen feet of Ntratilied heds. For some little distance up this river and past the next lake, a small strati tied deposit of sand tills the narrow valleys and depressions het ween rocky knolls. In the riveralMive, the course of tht! stream is lietween ridges of ynei.ss running; south-weHt. Tlie river hreaks ihroujih from one rid;,'e to another, hut the <4der valleys het weon these ridjjes appear to he lilled in with thu sand depiwit. ' The two lakes throu;,'h whiclj tlio river runs, are of much the same charactei, except that the upper one, I'luIVy lake (Kahniini ta-j^wa- r lower rapid has a fall of nearly forty feet, then, at the outlet, i.s another of twenty feel over a lefl^e of mica schist. On th*^ portaj;e at the low«'r fall the rocks are very much twisted and hroken into hy dykes of reddish granites. At the upper one, less disturhance was noticed, while on the lake tin? I eds are not contorted hut show considerahle s(|uec/.in^'. Tiie total len;,'th of lUufFy Lake is four miles and a half, with a width of oni.> mil<'. The timher on the islands and surrounding hills is j)tincipally hiack spruce, with Maiiksian pint; showing occasionully on sandy tracts in the river- valleys. At the upper end of the lake a stream from the east t-nters hy a wide mouth. The volume of water coming in is not great, as the channel soon contracts to a small stream with muddv water e\ i 1.50U yaids, to the river above. The upper part of the stream becomes very crooked, winding bai-k and foith in the bottom of a valley between ridg«'s of dark green schists luniung west of south. The immediate banks are low anil generally composed of fine silt, the slope back being gradual, through swampy moss covered ground to a terrace of sandy material. Occasionally the stream cuts into the sides of the valley and shows stratitied sands and silt. The portage to I'My Lake, leaves this stream at abend just below a Fly I,aki-. heavy rapid where the river turns more to the cast. An estimate by barometer readings, gives the eleva,tion of Fly Lake as fifty feet above the stream at the foot of the portage, and the distance by pacing is half a mile. Berens Hirer liaxin. The lower part of this stream was explored and surveyed by Mr. ■'J'>"\«'yl>y Mr. A. P. IjOW, of this Department, during the summer of 188G, while pas- :'|1 I'^i y 24 K DISTKICT OF KKEWATIX. Laki's (111 lU'i'fiis l{ivi'r. Siirvi'V l)y Mr Cocliraiu'. Family T^iikf to Kaglt' Lakt sing through to Hudson l\t\y via the Severn River.* His route to the lieful-waters of the Severn, led by lierens River to Fishing l^akc, just above tlie tJrand Rapids ot" IJeiens l{i\er. Thence he turned up a small branch coming tVoin the northward, and l>y a number of portages reached the Severn River. Mention is made in his report of a largt' brani'h called the Mattawu, which rises near Cat Lake, falling in at the south side of Fishing Lake. From the fact that this branch apparently occupies the central position and is longer tiian any of the sti'eams tlowing in the basin drained by Herens Ki\er, it woOld seem that it should lie considereil the main part of tlu; river. The lower portion isdescrilied as being a succession of chutes or short falls, witlii|uiet water-stretches resembling the locks and reaches of a canal. The laiger lakes found on the course of the river to the eastern head- wati'i'-^ are, in asceniling oixler, as follows : Family Lake, on which the main Hudson's l>ay Company's trading post for the inlund district is established ; Fishing Lake, just above, tiie waters of which fall to Family Lake by a heavy rajiid called tirand Rapids, giving the name to the Hudson's Bay post. Above this, on the Mattawa Ijianch, the first large lake is Eagle Lake. This is followed by Rocky Island Jjake, Sainly Narrt>ws Lake, on which a Hu , " another lake, likewise full of islands. Mr. Ponton calls this Rocky Islands Lake (Ka-sah-pah-wa-ka-inuck Sakahegan). Isolated knolls situated near the shores are estimated to attain heights, of one hun- dred and tweiity-tive and one hundred and iifty feet ahove the lake, i'his lake gradually contracts to river dimensions to the east, .and a series of rapids occur at which four portages are made, rising twenty -six feet to another expansion, which ft.rms perhaps tht^ largest or longest ake of the series Sa-dy Narrows Lake. This, like Kock^ Island Lake, is of very irregular shape. The route followed, was mainly neai- the north shore, which maintains a fairly continuous line to the east- noi'th-east. Bays running to the south-east, or large exjiansions partly inclosed by islands, are indicated on the sketch. Un a point near the Sandy Narrows was some time ago located a trading post of the Hud- son s Hay Compain'. This may have been the "Albany House "marked on previous maps near this latitude. The extreme length given by Mr. C'ochi'ane for this lake is thirty miles, in an east-north-east direc- tion. The shores are llankcd i)y hills averaging one hundreil and fifty feet high. The river enters at the north-east corner and comes from Moose Ciooke.l- Lake, eight miles above, by the course of the river. In this distance the fulls aggregate forty feet, with portages at four points. The northern branch above this. Crooked- mouth River, forms a route to Trout and Deer Lakes, to the north, and enters MiH)se i^ake at the north-west corner. The portage at the head of this branch, over the height-of- land, is in direct distance ti\e miles north of Moose Lake. The main stream appears to enter at the south and comes from ruivns Kivcr Pekangikum Lake, at a distance of thirty miles. In tjiis distance the river widens out in several narrow lake-like expansions, dotted with islands. Nearing , Moose Lake, it makes a long detour to the westward and back again, finally falling into a nai row arm at the south end, at the Eye Rapiils. There are four other rapids and poitages on this stretch of river. The portages are mostly under a quarter of a mile, except one which is three-»juarters of a mile long. m' \'^-m n 26 F DISTRICT OP KEEWATIN. Mr. C.ich- raiu-'> iiotfi Hcitfht laixl. Miiosf i^ikf. Kiicky I-liiiiil Lakes. Not*- nicks Mr. C'ochrane passed clown hy the northern branch thr'>u<:h M<»ose Lake, SSandy Lake and Kagle Lake to the (Jrand Hapids. A few extracts from his notes serve to sliow the appearanet- of the country, on this route, at that time. "The height-of-hmd portage (from tlie basin of Severn River) cro:*ses a very low hill (about forty feet), at the south end, but it is for the greater distance over low marsh ground with some mu.skeg ; and until Moose Lake was reached the C'rcMiked mouth Hiver con- tinued to pass through low swampy giound. The only change in the country noted to Sandy Narrows Lake is in its tiuilxT, which is mostly better, owing, no doubt, to s(»megootl soil being near the river. Indeed, in two or three places good clayey soil was seen, but only in small patches. "The shores of Moose Lake have all been burned over Ions .ij;o. anfl are now characterized by brulc and second growth. On other parts of this river to Sandy Lake some good tamarack has l>een seen, occasionally twelve to fourteen inches in diameter. Spruce is alxiut the same size, while Banksian pine is not larger than ten inches. "Sandy Lake, through which we passed (and at the foot of which I obtained a very satisfactory observation for latitude, ol' f>V ')i') is generally speaking surrounilcd by rocky hills averaging It'O feet, now fairly coxered with the usual second growth, amongst which is a good deal of green timber. The shores of this lake, Jis al.so those of the ne.xt below (Rocky Lsland Lake) are mostly rocky, though an «K"ea-ional short .sandy tract is to be seen between the rocky points. .\lK>ut three- quarters of the way down the lake, is what is calleelow Sandy Lake, where it is a stiff grayi.sh-clay with a slight covering of dark .sand. It does not, however, appeal- to extend beyond the point across which the portage has been made." The notes relative to the rocks of this part of the river and lakes traversed, are given below : — Moose Ljike, south side : Coarse, dark-gray, massive granite; glacial Btriie, S. 85 W. '] REUENS RIVER. 27 F Efistern end of Handy Luke : Durk-gray and grayish-browu gneiss ; dip, X. < 30" ; striic, S. TO W. Two miles from east end of above lake : Dark-gray gneiss containing large quantities of hornblende and some iron ; highly jKilished surface Sandy Lake two miles eiist of Sandy Narrows : Very coarse dark and light lirowiiish-gray gneiss, contiiining a few small transparent ambei' coloured grains of (juartz and much hornblende; dip, x.E. at a high angle; striie, 8. 75' W. Western side of Eagle Lake : Coarse dark and light gray micaceous gneiss; dip, N. < 20 . Eastern end Family Lake: Dark gray gneiss: dip. E. 25 N. Dark gr.iy gneiss seems to be the prevailing rock of all this region. The land reserved for the Indians on the upper part of this branch Indian rr- of lierens Hivei-, is a small tract situated on the north side id a long '"'''^''• arm or narrows, running to the eastward, from a lake t Hi\t al«nf Stur- gcoii Laki-. TiinUr. covered and tho riviT must fill the wlmle width of the gorge. Ifalf a mile soutjj of this, at the south-east corner nf a small basin, tliere is a fall of eleven feet over a wide ledge at the wj'stern end of Sturgeon Lake. The high-water mark in the hasiii between the falls, was six feet above the actual level, an effect due to the contracted channel at the lower full, compared with the wider one of the upper. The lake above this is a long narrow one, with & great number of islands scattered along its length, which is nearly seven miles. The w idth does not average over a mile. The direction ortion there is deeper water, and whitetish are said til have been caught there. A distance of only a mile separates this from Coose Lake, and at half the distance, is the White Dog Fall, a descent of eighteen feet. Abo\e Sturgeon Lak«>, on this branch, there are but three lakes of (Jikisi! Lakt. any si/e, namely, (loose Lake, Fairy Lake, and Upper Goose Lake- These are all situated near together, separated by short river-stretches. The Hrst is four miles iri length, by one mile wide, lying east-south- . east and west-north-west. The river enters at the east end and leaves at the west. The Hudson's Hay Company had an outpost established at the eastern end in former years, but it is hmg since abandoned. A short length of river connects with Fairy Lake to the south-east. At a mile uji this is Woman Fall, the highest on this part of the river. Here there is a drop of forty-five feet, in a narrow gorge, over ledges of gneiss forming a series of steps. The portage is on the north side, of one hundred and twenty yards, through poplar and spruce woods. A little fui'ther on, another fall occurs, of twenty feet, with a portage of two liunilred yards. This ends at a small lake, from which a wide channel to the south connects with the north end of Fairy Lake, which is thus at least sixty-five feet above Goose Lake. Fairy Liikt". We enteied at the north, and travelled a mile and a half along the eastern shore to the mouth of the incoming river. The main body of the lake stretches away to the south, as a narrow area of less than a mile in width and perhaps five miles total length. The south-eastern shores '■ '[I \ no K DISTRICT OF KKKWATiy. I '|l|«'r ( ilMlM' I, ilk.' lliMcl-watfis uf r.lTfllM Hivi-r. Hciglit-of- liuni inirtiiL'i-, Uliiti' Hi\«i. are low, the higher land Iwrdtrin*; the western side. The third lake of this series is oalletl I'pper (Joose Lake or, more litenUly, "the lake wliore they kill yi-eso," and is three miles east of I'iiiry l^ake. The river coimectiii'; them i.'' hi'oad, deeji and shij,'^ish. The lake is less than five miles long and is sliirhtly wider than the last. The Ioniser diameter lies east-and-west, the river eiiterinj,' at the western extremity. Ahove this are two small lakes throuj^h which the river j>ass('s, and between them is a fall of four feet at the "Eagle Haiml." A mile alioNc the uppei- one, the river ilivides, the eastern branch beiiii; the Whitetish Kiver while the southern one is the main stream. This then turns south and jiasses through a low swampy tract for three miles, when, neaiing some iugi;ed hills, it becomes less sluggish and small rapids are met with. The main part of the stream then turns to the west, coming from a series of lakes in the hilly regioi\. A small branch falls by a series of shallow rapids to this stream, which branch was followed in order to reach the heigh t-of-land to the east, making two portages of one hundred and eighty yards each, rising ten feet to a swampy tract in which the stream is deej) and sluggish but very crooked. Portages are made at seveial shallow raji. ds, to the height-of-land. The diiection of this latter part is to the south-south- east and a distance of twelve miles, the estimated fall in which is over eighty-live feet. Sniithfnt Jirinn/i nf B''r*'tif< Hinr or White lilrpr. — The largest of the tributaries of I'erens River, coming from the south, is the White Kiver which enters at I'ekangikum, at the exticme outhern end of the lake. This stream comes from a ])oint directly south at a distance of twenty-fi\e miles, and passes tliiough two or three crooked lakes, falling in that distance ovei- two hundred feet. This estimated fall is merely the sum of the falls on the riv(>r with an estinifite for current. The greatest is t!!'>t at the first long jmrtage whei-e it is sixty feet, the rest being made uji of a number of smaller rapids and clmtes. There are twelve portages to reach the lieight-of-lar.d, mostly short. The last is the longest, being over a mile in length. In following this small stream upwards, it gradually con- tracts in size, until near the head-waters it is .so small that the whole dis- tance between the last two lakes has to Ik* portaged. This portage, over a mile in length, starts in a tamarack and spruce muskeg, moss-covered, but eventually reaches higher ground with mixed timber, mainly hills of sandy, Ijoulder-strewn material. The prevailing tree is I'anksian pine, and towards the eastern end of the trail this has been thinned out by fires and wind storms, leaving a gro\e (at the far end) averaging ten to twelve inches in diameter. OOWIINO ] ( ; EOLOr, IC A I- KE ATU K ES. 31 Just below the hike-stretclies, near the liei;,'ht-ot' land, the river cuts throu^'h sand liills, forming a deep valley, and at one of tlie portages flay was noticed resting directly on the rock, the sand evidently lying ahovp it. KsliiiKit'-d 11,'itjlils of Lii/tfs. — A sci'ies (»f estimations of the falls and Laki's of rapids in the liver was carried tlirou'di f-oni Lao Seal to Pekaii-'M kuni, !"';'.'"' '^"" on Berens Hiver via White l{iver, and thence up the eastern branch to the headwaters of Cat Lake lliver, and south by Tmut Imlce |{iver to Lac Seul. The results are given for those lakes in the area drai.ied by Berens liiver, and are the estiniat«!il heights above sea level in feet, assum- ing Lac Seul as being 1 1 10 feet. IVct. Laki' at liiiylit-oflmwl. Wliitc Kivcr li'.'.O Lake at latitude .")l •_'.">'. on White Kiver \'2'2^ Lake at latitllilo .')! XV '• 117.") K.lo\v Loiiu rortafic, latitinlf .')! 'M', White Hivtr IIOO White Lake, White P.ivi r 1040 IVkaii gi kiiiii Lake, liereiis l{iver 1037 Stiirjicon Lake. Hail- Lake, (ioose Lake, Fairy F^ake, Upper < ioose Lake. 1051 1178 lltHi l-Jtil 12()2 Luke at lieiylit oflaiiil to (at Lake liivtT : . . IS.'iO G i:oi,0(;i(AL Fkatl hks. In the country under consideration, the rocks exposed are all Archa'ao, consisting of gneisses and associated granites, classed gen- erally as Laui'entian, aiul folded schists and greenstones of the JIuronian. In many icspeets these rocks are counterparts of those found in the diatricts further south on the Lake of the Woods and l{ainy Lake. The noithern boundary of the large lluronian (Kcewatin) areas already e.vplored there, is roughly on a line from Hat Portage to the foot of Minnietakie Lake. North of this a band f»f gneisses occupying the shores of Lac Seul and the English River, is succeeded Ijy a similar .series to that on the south. The irregular form a.ssumed by these Iluronian areas in both districts, is no doubt the result of simultaneous crustal movements. The Laurentian gneisses are the prevailing rocks of the whole region, and their association here with the fokied schists, greenstones and rocks of apparent sedimentary interest in view of the auriferous nature o' .Vrclia'aii rocks only foiinii. specii; any 32 p DI8TKICT OF KKEWATIN. I'rcx iciils p'o- Io^'IcmI (lllSCI- \ations. Notes hy Dr. Selwvn. By Dr. I'..1I. of the (luartz-veins found cutliii^' similar rocks in tlio vicinity of Rainy Lake and I^jikn of tht- Woods. Forni'r Kr/i/nnifiniis. - A part of the area lias hoon liriolly rcfcrrt'd to in former reports of this Survey : — Dr. Sclwyn,* in 1^72. in deserihin;; a JMurney from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipei,', passing l)y Kn;;lish Hiver throufiii Lae Seul, calls attention more particularly to the soil and drift deposits, and instances the sands and elays in the valley of the Eniilisli Hiver as heinir <'f greatt'r extent, than further south and west on the Winnipeg Ui\er, exeept perhaps on the lower part near tiake NN'iniiijieg. In speaking in a general way of this district he .sayst : — "There are no prominent hills or even ridges ; the highest elevations do not prohaiily exceed four or five huiidreil feet above the intervening waters ; and T tJiink it is no exaggeration to say tliat the latter occupy fully one half of the whole surface area of the region. The surface is gently broken and undu- lating, and often rocky, but occasionally both lakes jind rivei's, are bordered either by extensive swampy flats or b}' banks of stratified sand, silt and clay, which often rise; terrace like at a short distance from the waters edge. The point on which the Ijonely I..ake Post stands is formed of the.se deposits, and to the westward of the ))OHt, along the north sIkoc, they are expo.sed in cliff sections for several miles. .\t the junction of the .M;ittawa [Shallow Lake Ki\er] and F.ng- lish Hivers, where a small Lidian \illagu and trading post is situated, presided over by Chief Pierre, there are .similar banks of sand and .sandy clay, resting on the (trdinary gray Laurentian gneiss, which is exposed along the water's edge. The banks here rise stectply to about thirty feet abovt' the water, and for some distance inland the country seems to be tolerably level, and the soil on this p.nrt of the river appears to be generally of fair t|uality." Dr. Bell,;]; who ai.'companied Dr. Selwyn on this expedition, reports more fully on the rocks met with. Of tho.se seen on l^ac Seul or Lonely Lake he says ?; : — "' The rocks observed ai'ound the shores of the western section of this lake consist entirely of Laurentian gneiss, all having a west-south- westerly strike. We noted many varieties auKnig these rocks, but none of them are remarkable or require special de.scription. * * * About the outlet the gneiss is very micaceous, and is cut by numerous granite vein.s, mostly running with the strike which is here nearly due west. The granite, as in many other places, may here indicate the •Rcixnt (if rroK'ri'ss (Icol. Siirv. Can., for ]H72:.S, iip. S-l». Jlbkl., lH7i.'-73, PI.. 87-111. tlhirl., p. l(i. Sllii i'l-. i'.ell ajjain visited this re;,'ion and made a survey of the Mattawa and Ked fiakc Kivers to lltul Lake. In the Summary He- port f(»r that year, he ;i;ives a short account of his routt> to lied Lake. 'i'h(' notes liearin;^ on the {^eolo;(y of this area are contained in the folio win;( piirayraph.* " .V \tMy careful track siir\<'y was next made of Ked Lake itself, as its shores |>rov(Ml to he of i^reat jL,'eoloj^ical interest. The whole lake (which is of considerable size) lies within a wide helt of Huronian rocks, anioiii,' which s(>veral of the rarer varieties ai'e well developed, and they were fnuiul to contain some intei'cstin^ minerals. The nai'- row licit of Huronian rocks, which, in 1S7'_', w(^ conjectured would pass a tew niili's to the northward of tlu* junction of the Knj,'lish and .Mattawa rivers, was actually found in the position and strike it was then supposed to have."' /'//' fjitinnil'ntn. Gneisses refern-d to the Laurent ian wci-e --ecn on the White and I'.erens rivers, mi Lac Seul and on the F''nu'lish and .Mattawa i-ivers. At the head-waters of Berens Hiver, large masses of unfoliated granite seem to break into the gneisses and in other parts similar granite cuts the darker rocks of the Huronian. In the Lac Scul area the strike is very uniform, generally trending to the west, hut this extends northward only a few miles from English Hiver. On the river from Long-legged Lake the western trend is maintained to near the outlet, and on Shallow Lake, to a point about one-third the distance up the lake. Up the Wenas.saga River this uniformitv of sti'ike does not seem to continue far from Lac Seul, as on the portage below IJlutly Lake the rocks become very much crumpled u(). This crumpling is seen in the rocks on the east side of Shallow r,:Miriiitiali flip ^ I ■ •K.iM.it of Trogress, Geol. Siirv. Can., 1882-83-84, p. 5. 3 (i;i iii^ < H •M V niSIHKT OK KKKWATIN Sciil. I'rccciiitcd I'diitat't. l.l-lc.U till' laki-. M:ltt.1\\ii tu SliiiUiiw Lak( Lake iiiul sliowsaline of weiikness runniiij,' t'loni south of Itliid'y Lake to SImlluw I^ike aiul thence to llin outhft of Loiij,' Iij^^'cd Lake. liuvks nf' Liir Sfulor Luttehj Lakf. -Th« Iwdsfrom tlKMnitlot eastwiird iiic i;t'in'ially i;noi>»s«'s and niii-a schists, witli iiitfihcddcd lii,'ht coloured ijranitcs all trt'ndin;; al>oiit eistand wost. Near llig Isliuid tlicv run westsouth-west and fast-north-east, and at t|ic natrows at tlie wt'stcrn end of llie island, nianv red yranite veins l)reak into the heds. alteiinLr tlieiii to a sli;;htly li;;hter ;;ray. < >n tiie soutli side of the island is a loii^ exjxisureof a reddish griwiite wliicii hreaks easily, like a sandstone. This is, however, found to he cut hy the red veins of j^ranite which aI~o cut the ;,'neiss. At the .Shanty Narrows, the rock is a lii;ht j,'ianile or sli^'htly foliated ;;neiss interhedded with ;;arnetiferous mica schists, and the strike IkiuIs from west-southwest to south-west, hut <|uickly turns a^ain to an east-and-west liirection. At tht^ Manitou Nairows the lock is a whitish {.'ranite, with a few streaky of dark foliated rock made up of fra;:ment.s tiattened out and somewhat rounded at the ends. Near the lon;i point west of Stony Point, a small island is found to he composed of liiflil coloured crystalline j^raniti', svith slight sij^ns of foliation. 'i'hiii- nules east of Stony I'oint, a small island, connected hy a t,'ra\el har to the mainlanil, is composed of dai'k-gr-een bedded rocks. They are siandini.' on edj^e, striking about east north-east and are found on seieral of the islands lyinir on that line. The main shore to the north is of yrainte. \ei-y like that on I'.ii,' Island, and it lieit' con- tains mai>y f rajrments of the green rocks, forming a brecciated contact. A wide dyke of ^oaphitic granite cuts through the beds on the point, but whether it connects with the granite of the maiidand or I'Uts it as well, was not ascertained. < )n Knglish IJiver. the Iteds at the outlet are \ery niut-li wrinkled, and at the Hrst rapid, bands of dark mica-schist and dark-gray gneiss, interleaved with coarse whitish granite, are seen. iJelow the second rapid, on the jioint ojijxxsite the portage, the bedsaie \ery much broken and twistefl, so that pieces of the darkei- baixls are broken otl and cairied forward in the mass. A coarse gray granite showing some foliation, occurs at Mattawa, and is followed tw-o or three miles up the .Mattawa River by dark hornblende-schists with a general east and- wcst strike. At the ell)Ow, about half way to Shallow Lake, red granite dykes an* seen cutting the schists. The south-western arm of Shallow Lake is principally surrounded by hills of gneiss and granite (jf the Lac Seul type, ending at a point three miles and a half north of tiie outlet, where tlie gray gneiss is found to contain rounded masses of LAUHKNTIAN OK I.AC SEUt,. 35 y t' the Lac Scul i^aurcntian band. Jiclnw .Mattawa, (he ri\ei' widens to a smaU lake that discharf^es Kntfli-li |{i\iT in u s»>ries of rapids, alonj,' the itanks of which light granite-gneiss, jl''^"" ''' runtdng west south west is found, ami occupies the sides of the stream to the next fall, the river running in a trough jiarallel to the strike. I'lands of niira-schist i)cconit' fre(|uent, and on breaking throu;,di the.se to the south the ii\cr falls into Itarnston bake. (ineisses which call for no .special remark are seen on the banks of the luke.s, forming ex- pansions on this part of Knglish Hiver. The stream from Long-legged Lake which falls into Wilcox Lake I^m^r-l».Jr^rc• changes in character. < )n ''^'''• Lac Seul, a series of granites is found interbedded with mica-schists. On the upjjcr part of Wenastegao Lake, and on the river above to near I'hdly Lake, little change except tiiat of the strike was noticed : but at the long p irtage, a.s noted before, the beds are very much crumj)led and folded, over a shoit distaiice. aiu! on IMuffy Lake return Hhitfy Lake, to a uniform south-west and noith-i'ast strike. Following these beds nor( h-eastward, liiey arc found to curve .slightly more to the east, and at the east end of the lake are running about west-south- west and eastiiorth-east. The gneisses are generall) reddish to grav, and specimens taken from a small island near the eastern end, show layers compos(>d of nearly juire ([uartz. On a smooth surface, this rock is seen to be made up of a series of lenticular gi'ains which are the result of subsecjuent squeezing and perhaps shearing, while in a plastic condition. The gneisses seem to have the same structui'e. At the entrance to the river abo\ e this lake, is an exposure of dark Wcnassiicii gray felspar-mica gnei.ss. The grains of felspar are very even in size, l!^«^■\"'k'- of a light colour and surrounded by flakes of black mica. Streaks of granular ijuartz run parallel to the foliation. The next exposures are near the outlet of Sand-bar Lake, where a ridge t)f dark gray gneissic 1! i i •li u M V DISTnirT OF KKKWATIX. ItiH k^ I if |,a( S.iiliiii.l I.I lilt' lc;.';,'iil I.iiki-< I I nil |>aii(l. M'liint orosscs tilt' vallt'v. Aldiii; thf iioitli slmrt' tin* irnks art' iiK)»tly (I (l.iik mica-Hcliist, tut iIiikuljIi l>y ilykfH of a li;;lit, \fiy foarscly I'i'ystalliiif Ljiaiiitt'. ( >n tlu' ri\i'f alitisf, iIk' scliisis t'oriii an- DllitT ('am anil tall, wIhti- liijlit ;y a witlc liaiitl ot' fint j^raiiu'd scliisttiso mii'iss. 'I'lic rocks ('X|ni.stMl mi tlif rivor alinsf arc proliahly nt' lluruiiian a;,'!', Imt tin- (tiiitaci lid wctii tin' Iwo st'iifs imist 1m> coiiffalfil hy tiu« surtact! I'livfiiii;,', as tlu* livt-r tor a slmrt. (listai'Cf runs tliiii'/-/ri/i/f(i /,n the lower lake arc chietly granites and gneisses. Un tli(> south- }' "i!*f ''^'^'"' *"'^^^ shore are gneisses with a light porphyritic graidte, and at the south end of the hay, the graidte is found to hold dark oval patches oi- inclusions, while on the point south of the opciung to the second lake, arc nia.sses of dark hornltlcnde-schisb which look like outlying frag- nient-iof lluroni.ui. incluilcd in the foliated granite. These roi;ks are immeiliatcly f illowed to the west hy tiark gneiss. Passing through a narrows, the second lake is entered, and licic the rocks are generally gray and red granite-gneiss; tin- exception heing a small island of light-green line-grained rock resenihling that of the lluroidan, hut its relation to the surroundl" gneiss could not he seen. On the west shore, a hand of dark schist touche-^ the shor-c and occupies a lorg island, hut is followtnl hy light-coloured gneiss, and this again hy red- dish gneiss ami granite. On the narrows just at the entrance to the last lake, a hand of dark -green coarsely crystalline rock was found, simil.ir to some of those stM-n on the !{ed liake lii\er, and there supposed to he an eruptive associated with the Huronian series. Near the west end t)f this hay, another hand of dark rocks was seen, the inter- vening betls heing generally light-coloured gnei.sses. This recurrence of the dark hands at intervals of two or three nules suggests the possibility of their heing the lower edges of a series of I)it:iil- nil Dark liands. oowimo I.AtnKNTIAN OK TliOl T I.AKK. 37 K folds of tlif Iliiroriiaii. TIn'V si't'in ti Iw a(foin|iiiriicil in iinirly every ciH»' hy a few limkoij patvlics of durk iiiclusidns in tlif ailjac-enl l»«'(ls, ami ill tlm oase i»f tlii' (irnt one, t vertical. The alisence of anythiiiLt in the iiatiiie of iiii<'.i scliisi is a character of the 1,'iieissesof Lonu' lci,'i,'cd Lake and also of those to the north-east on lliii; Lake ami (iiill Laki', and the liroiipin;; of these rocks toL'cther. as lieiiii; of ('oiiimon oiiijin, is sufi^ested from their licinjj nearly on the same line of strike and se|)arated hy a very short interval in distance. To the northeast of this ;,'roiip of lakes, on (Jull r..ake and '''nitiict witli the sm.ill lake lyin;,' to tlie east, is found an area in whii-h liiiht, slightly foliated i^ranite is the prevailin;,' rock. This, at its contact with the lluidiiian of the west shore, has sent lonj,', tinger-like ma.s.ses between the beds, separating' them. Fraj^inents are found in tho <,'ranito at some distani'e from the contact, and u baml lyini.; to the south of the llnronian, seems to lie made up entirely of these frajiinents cemented to;.;elher hy the ;^ranite. .\t a greater distance to the south, these fra;imentary rocks yiadually assume the aspect of altered beds cut into by the yranilc in \ rins ami dykes. < )n the Upper Medicine Stone Lake, a mass of granite forming a I'pipir M<(li triangle between the two lakes, deflects these altered beds to the south- f,,,)^,! west, and it is jiossible that the gneisses of the lakes to the south of this may be a i-oiitinuation of highly altered beds similar to those above, but in which the gneisses and foliated granites are also cut by a led granite. The larger dykes of granite cutting these gneis.ses at the westi'rn end of Long-legged T^ake are of a light red, and suggest a possible cunnection with the large granite mass of the west shore of Medicine Stone Lake, while the granites and foliated granites found cutting, and interbedded with, the gneisses and dark-green .schists of the middle and eastern lakes, are proliably connected with the granite area east of (Jul! Lake. Rockx iif'Tniiit I.iiki'. The Trout r,akeart>a is probably all T.aurcntian. Ljuni'iitian of but the existence of Huronian in the immediate vicinity is to be con- jectured from dark nietamorphosed rocks in fragments and small masses held in the gneisses at several hiealities. H I 38 p DISTRICT or KEEWATIN. Strike of gllt'isscs (111 Trout Lake, Ijaiirciitiaii Whit.tisli Spawiiiiij; Kiv.i- At the outlet of Littlo Trout Lake, a small l)an(l of dark rocks very mucii seamed by red j^ranite veins, is accompanied by granites and gneisses. This, by reference to the niup, will be found to l)e a probable continuation of the south-west extreme of the Woman Lake beds. The south shore, on the continuation of this strike was not visited, but it is quite probable that traces of this band might be found connecting this area with the Red Lake series. Another locality presenting somewhat similar features, is at the western extreme of Trout Lake, where the gneiss contains spotted bands looking like conglomerate pebbles of dai'k rock with a matrix of lighter colour. On the narrow water coiniecting Little Trout I^ake with the larger one, are beds of a gr.ay gneiss, the foliation running about south-west. The same strike was found t;) be common to the gneisses of the south- eastern part of the lake. Few exposures .are seen on the south-west side and they are of an unfoliated gianite, but on the extreme western end they become more gneissic, running about west. On one of the points at the entrance to the western bay occurs the spotted band mentioned above. The whole point is foliated in a direc- tion about north-west and south-ea.it, the plane of foliation dipping south-west •^; GO . Half a mile north-west the point is a mass of red- dish gnei.ss, the foliation is distinct but the mass is lighter coloured than the last and is nearer to a granite. Across the bay to the north, on the extreme north-western shoie, the rock isadai'k gray gneiss with foliation running to the north-east, cut by many seams of red granite. Eastward on the north shore, the gneisses are light giay and red, and of nmch the same character, preserving a general northeast and south-west strike. )f North of Red Lake, the Laurentian i-ocks are fouml to touch the northern shore of Pipestone lUy, and tlie liills north of a long arm on the north side look like granite, while on the lake, veins of granite cut the schists. The contact is evidently near at hand, anil a short distance up the AN'hiteUsh Sjiawning iUver is an exposure of somewhat green- ish granite, which seems to include small nuisses and crystals of a dark green hornblende or pyroxene giving it a rlaikened I'olouring. Farther north, the granites are lifjliter in colour and show slight fake. This probably forms a narrow belt, whieli, passing north of Buj; Lake, joins the main mass on the west side of Keg Ltike. This mass, with a skirting of Huronian, resembles in shape those areas already mapped in detail near l^ainy Lake, but the broken nature of the contact on the north side, would suggest a rather violent separation of tlie narrow bantl from the main series and the interposi- tion of an eiuptive mass of granite. Hiplilyaltere'l Outlying bands of gneiss south of the narrow ])and of Huronian scliists. mentionetl above, are possibly lii^'hly altered schists. These are '^een on the north shore of Medicine Stone Lake, the south shore of I'pper Medicine Stone Lake, and on the stream siuth-east of a small lake lying to the west. Other masses of the red granite are found Ijetween the two Medicine Stone lakes and on the small lake to the west. The relation of these isolated areas of granitt^ to the Tjiurentian gneisses of the region to the st)utli-east has not been clearly determine*!. J/in-oiiiau. f,„„,,,,ris()n The series of schists, limestones and Vjedderl materials originally of «itli Lake "I. volcanic origin, here mapped as Huronian, in maiiv respects litlmlogi- Kainy I.«iki. cally resemi)le the larger areas to the south which have Ijeen desig- nated by the local name Keewatin ; but the presence of dark-blue limestone and of conglomerates with jaspei- pebbles, Ixjtli very similar to those of the typical Huronian area north of Lake Huron, renders the f)roj)riety of e.\teniling the name Keewatin to these nnks doubtful. The Couteliiching, supposed by Dr. Lawson to underlie the Keewatin in the Rainy Lake country, is possibly represented here by the small area west of Shallow Lake, but strata wliieh most resendjle the typi- cal rocks of this series are found on (Jull I'ock Lake, and are seen to be only highly altered beds in contact with the I>aurentian, which when followed along the strike, away from the contact, change very materially and resume the general aspect of the rest of the Huronian. The contact with the gneissic rocks and granites of the region was found to be generally of a brecciated character, the gneisses and granites while in a plastic condition surrounding and inclosing the Huronian schists.* •With further refen'lice to the nature of the coiitnetH or lin»-» of junction here 'lescrilM'fl, and thi' incluMioii of Hnrdtiian fra>;iiiciit-< in thf jriu'l^^ic riK-k-^. *»■*■ I^twsonV n'iMirts cm thf Laki' of the NVodds anil Hainv Lake. Annual H<-|i<>rU, . (i^icanci \(.l. II., i>. 'S.h: ] nURONIAN OF SHALLOW LAKK. 41 F Jiocks of the S/ialloiv J^akf Area. — As before noted in the Summary Shattered con- tiict witli gneissic rocks. Report for 1883, a small patch of Huror.ian rocks was seen on this ''\'[f ^^'*' lake by Dr. Bell. The junction of the Laurentian gneisses with these rocks occurs on tlic west shore, at about tiiree miles and a half north from the outlet. Gray gneiss, striking westward, occupies the shore to the first large bay. On one of the islands in this bjiy on which the Indians have small gardens, is a series of Itlack gaei.s.ses very ibuch twisted. On the mainland opposite, the gray gneiss gives place to dark gneiss very much seamed with granite veins, and in the gneiss are included fragments which apparently are broken from the darker series. The exact point of contact was not seen, but the attitude of the beds on each side, is that of a dark series very much twisted up by heat and pressure, Ijecoming broken and fissured and finally disappearing in a much altered condition as fragments held in the ma.ss of adjacent gray gneissic rock of which the strike is directly across the geneial trend of the dark beds. Following the shore northward, the beds very soon loose their folded liuiDuiiiiHif character and are found with a uniform strike to the north, afterward '^'"il'"" •'•'■<''• turning to the north-f>ast with an easv curve. The general trend of the series is nearly parallel to the shoreline, so that the bed which is found at the mouth of Red Lake River would cross the points at the north-west corner, touching the shore at the bottom of the bay.s, tiience turning south, would pass just clear of the west side and finally would be crumpled up near the contact, thus on the lakeshorea very narrow section of the series is I'ound. In going westward, this section consists of, first, dark serai-crystalline schists or gneisses, a band of dark-green horn- blende-rock, in places rendered schistose and inothei-s mainly a trap, and lastly the beds at the mouth of the river, wliich are a dark green, tine- grained rock, well stratified and apparently clastic, re.'^endjling beds within the larger Huronian areas. On the river, few exposures are to be seen. At the foot of the tiivst rapiil, dark hornblende-schists are exposed, followed in a slioit distance, at the second fall, In* coarsely- cry-italline hornbicMidic eruptive rock, which is similar to that on Shallow Lake. The thickness of the section can .scarcely be estimated, as the western boundaiy was not seen, but the presence of angular granite boulders, which had evidt-ntiy not been carrietl far, containing inclusions of dark rocks, would [)lace this line just alxive the second rapid, or at a distance of two ndles from the mouth of the river. A small eastward extension of the series is found on the narrow point separating the two Shallow lakes. These l>eds have an average south- west strike and appear to have formed a nearly separate area from the rocks of tlie west shore, while a series of granites with a varying ■( - 1 Rcifk-<..fl-ittl. Sluvllow Lak.'. 4*J K niSTRICT OF KKEWATIN. amount of foliation has occupied the gap between, which is probably one Uiain breik with several les-er ones in the form of dykes, generally cutting intd the mass along the btHl-ling planes. The islands in the centre of the lake and near the east shore are all of gneissoid gianite. Tlie main shore at the outlet of Liltle Shallow Tiake, is a light granite with greenish ting(i and numerous small crystals of light-green horn- blende. This rock probably occupies the trough or valley of the con- necting stream, as it is found again at the mouth, on Shallow Lake. The Iluronian rocks extend to the eastwai'd on Little Shallow Lake, nearly to the mouth of Trout Lake River and occupy the west shore to near the s(»uth-west corner. The division line passes not far from the west shore making a light curve. The long point fiom the east shore appeals to be mainly reddish granite and the small island opposite, near the shore is compose(l mainly of gneissoid gi'anite. At the contact, near the south-west corner of the lake, the beds are found to show a great amount of metamorphism which decreases as the line of contact is left. A coarse-grained, whitish, gneissic granite containing silveiy scales of mica and whitish felspar, is found in contact with a dark gray gneissic schist, which is succeeded by dark-gi'ien rusty- weathering coarse-grained schist and a dull tine mainetl gneiss. The shore northwacd for a couple of miles, is occupied by a tine-grained, dark gneiss whiih resembles that of the west shore of the larger lake. From op]iosite the long ))oint to the outlet, several beds are found (tks..fTi<.ut The north-eastward extension of the series, follows the high ridge nU)',- LiVtI>- ^^'f'^'f "f Trout Lake River, crossing this stream somewhere below the Sliall(i« J.iikf. big fall. The first exposure is of a light grayish-green, ([uai'tzose niica- .schist, which is probably a squeezed gneiss. This is associated with beds of a daik gncii to gray tine-grained material which is j)robably an altered sedimentary rock. The granite dyke which breaks into the mass at the fall, is followed aijove, on the river, by dark-green hornblende-schists, anil by a coarser crystalline hornblende-rock resembling the bands of ei'uptive rock on tin' noi'th side of Shallow Lake. Th" iiorthwaril extension above, is hidden, and we next see the granites which extend to Trout I^ake. It is quite pos.sible that the bed.s, which here are striking northeast and South west, may contiiuie to the north eastward and join the area of Iluronian expo.sed around Woman Lake, but of this there is no cer- tainty. HUKONIAN OF WOMAN LAKE. -13 F Rocks of llip. Woman Laki' Area.—i)\xr explorations in this district were alonj; two routes near together and probably at tlie extreme western edge of the Huronian area, as the beds very likely run much fai ther to the eastward than we had the opportunity of seeing. Our routes were from Shal)oomene Lake (in the Cat Lake basin) through Woman fjake and down the Trout Lake River, and again from Trout Lake eastwartl via a long narrow lake to Woman Lake, thence up stream to Clearwater Lake (lying east of Woman Lake), directly south up stream to Fly Lake and thence down by tiie Wen- assaga River to Lac Seid. On the former route, we met with the western boundary of this series on the Hhaboomeno l>ake, where a series of foliated granites are found in contact with dark-gray schists fontati df and garnetiferous gneisses, which appear near the western bor- a'nd'il'unmian der of the series. The gneiss is cut by dykes of light coloured "" ''^''"'"'"'' greenish-gray trap which is not seen in the foliated granites to the north. The beds tV)llowing this are of green schist. The western bound- ary of the JIuronian, includes a narrow strip along the west shore and cuts across a bay to the south side of the lake, leaving the northern part and a small patch on the south-western side, in the Laurentian ; while pai't of the west shore, the south and the southern half of the east shore are composed of Hui'oniaii rocks. The bay at the south end, from which the portage is made, is surrounded by rather steep shores of light-green altered volcanic rocks, fine-grained and compact, with many small shrinkage cracks filled with calcite. The portage to a small lake abo\e Woman Lake is over a high ridge HuKniianof of dark green, s([iieeze(l and altered quartz-porphyry. The same bed ^^""i">'> '■'"•kf. is found again on the north end of Woniiin Lake on a continuation of the strike to the .south-west. Down the west shore, the succeeding beds are evidently of volcanic origin — light-green diorites and ashy-weather- ing agglomerates. Xcar the south end, at tin' narrowest part, a dark series of clierly I'ocks follows the west shore and passes away to the south-west, followed again at the bend by beds of dark fine-gi'ained thin-beddeil rocks, of which some are thoroughly tilled with iion- pyrites and magnetite. Medicine IJock, just out of water in the centre of the channel, is apjiarently a mass of ore, while the weathered pyrites supplies the Tiidian-i with "medicine." in the river at the outlet of the lake, the last mck-exposure is of a dark green-felsite, and on the lirst lake below — Ijittle Bear Lake — the rock is a gray gneissoid granite with included fragments of a dark colour which were supposed to be highly metamorphosed pieces from the Huronian. 44 K DISTRICT OF KKKWATIX. Hocks (if nmte Tlie route from Trout Liike tlirougli tliis area, is up a very small from ^\oIll:\n stre.,,^, ^^y tj,e ejistwjird for abdut live miles to a small lake. Here dark, Lake to Inmt ' Lake. j,'reen eruptives are seen, but the portage of two miles to the south takes us back again into gneiss, and the long lake thei'e reached runs along the strike of these rocks. The contact with the Huronian occurs on a iiaiiow strait leading northward to tanother arm of this lake, and its occurrence was inflicated in advance by the presence, in the gneiss, f)f an increasing number of dark patches, apjiarently inclusions. The attitude of the l)eds is somewhat similar, the schists first found dipping north < 45 , while tiie gneisses near the contact are very nearlv in the same position. Along the eastern extension of tiiis lake the rocks are principally green, and massive but, in places rendered schistose by pressure and then frecjupntly splitting irto thin i)l.ites. >iear the eastern end, seams of white oalcite are found generally interlaminatcd with the beds, l)ut sometimes breaking throutjh them and holding fragments from the sides. The massive green rocks often show small blots and lenticular patches of easily weathered material, which leaves cavities on the surface. ( )n the portage to Woman Lake, the rock has the appearance of having been very nmch shattered and subsequently squeezed into -chists along tlie lines of fracture. Huronian of Lower ( 'Icar- water Lake. Hocks of l-'lv Lake. On the first Clearwater Lake,the rocks near the north end are massive green diorites, but toward tlie .south they become more schistose and the bedding or cleavage runs s(juth-west parallel to the general direction of that on Woman Lake. Very tine grained, giay-green, massive looking porcellanous rock, breaking with conchoidal fracture, is found on the last portfige leading to tiie second Clearwater Lake. This was not seen in conta t with the rest of the series, but is probal)ly one of the eruptives found in the Huronian. At the south end of the lake, a light yellowish-green, squeezed (juartz porjihyry occurs, which is very similar to the beds at the north end of Woman Lake. The course of the river, through the string of lakes, has been some- what parallel to the strike or bedding, but from Clearwater Lake east- wai'd, for two miles, it cuts across this direction, and another .series of long narrow lakes is drained. The first of these lies in a north-east, and south-west direction, with a narrow bay extending two miles to the south and connecting by a small stream with another long narrow lake lying further south. The rocks iiere are rather fine-grained green- stones, with a fine porcellanous surface of fracture. At the i)ottage to Fly Lake, a light-green rock, evenly spotted with ash-coloured irregular markings on the weathered surface, is found. It »] HUKONIAN OK HED LAKE. 45 P is uniformly dark-grpen on fresfi fracture, a coarsely crystalline horn- blende-rock in which the bedding could not be made out. Fly Lake lies in the same trough as the lake north of it, and runs nearly north-and soutii, the strike of the rocks following nearly the direction of the shores. At thir north end, a dark-green massive rotk prevails. Toward the south end, tine-grained liedded rocks which have the appearance of being altered sedimentary materials are first met with- The strike of the beds is to the south, but near the south end of I'ly Lake this turns south-.south-west, and oi\ the Wenassaga River to the east, varies from south-south-west to south-west. On tilt; portage eastward from Flv Lake, light-green (luart/ose bods HiKk^nf west are followed by ctjaisely crystalline hornblende-rock. Down the n[^.,..henomenon. A few exposures of a thin bedded ipiai-tzite or quartzose schist are Tiimiintiaii of to be found at the small lapids below, all striking south-west to west- Hivtr."^'^^ south-west, and at the little lake near the mouth of Sand-bar Lake, gray gneisses, which possibly belong to the Laurcntian, occur. The junction between the two formations was not seen, and the exact southern Intundary of the Huronian was therefore not established. The western outline of the area of Huronian rocks above described is probably veiy sinuous, beginning to the west of Shaboomene Lake, making a long point towai-d Trout Lake and taking in pai't of a long narrow lake, then forming a long tapering arm including Woman Lake and touching the eastern end of Little Trout Lake, with a very uncer- tain southern edge, reaching to near the Sand-bar River branch of Wenassaga River. i?()('As of thi' Rill I.iihf on a. — The Huronian area of Red Lake and ll.miiijarics of vicinity is, on account of the greater variety of rocks included by it, of in')re interest than those previously described. The exact boundaries of its rocks are determineil only by those exposures of contacts which are to be seen on the lake shore and on the streams explored, so that the connecting lines between such exposures are necessarily somewhat uncertain. The northern side of the lake touches the Laurentian only on Pipestone Bay, and on Whitefish Spawning River the contact is a short distance from the lake. The boundary is thus conjectural be- tween these points. To the south, the boundary is seen at several the Hunmiaii 1 •" ifi m 46 F DlSTniCT OF KEEWATIN. Si'ction ay. The beds on the nortli, in contact with the gneiss, dip northward at angles varying from 60' to 80 . At the centre and near the south side th(\y are nearly verti- cal. Southward through the nariows, the inclination is south vai-ying from 50' to 80' from the horizontal. A synclinal fold with its axis running north-west, brings the beds up again on the south shore of Trout P>ay, where they strike aloni; the getieral direction of tli(^ south shore of this arm. The continuation of tiiis to tiie south-east probably forms a narrow belt, passing near Medicine Stone Lake and joining the same rocks at Gull Rock Lake. The composition of the series in these folds appears to be as follows, in ascending order ; — 1. Dark green schists, probably squeezed volcanic m. ofi' two small islands lying in front of the opening. Thence it crosses Marble I'ay, Jind tlie beds on the point to the east are cut at an angle of 45 by the granite, which occupies the point and also the western face of a small round island where the schists abut directly on it. ![1P hM M 48 F DISTHICT OK KKKWATIV. The large islnnd to tlie sontli, is inaitily juninite, with only the slenfler point at the e;i.st end, of lluroiiian. At the Wolf Xarrows, both sliorea aie ^'lanite, the line e«*n eroiletl to the contact-line, and aldng the shore small jiatches nf it are found clinging to tin? face of a high clifV, while seams of the same inatiM'ial occur, running north into the mass of the darker rocks. This shore is thus chietly composed of liuroiiiaii rocks, but generally represented by a dark crystalline roi^k which looks somewhat like a diorite squeezed in some places to a crystalline schist. The granite of the south shore is r(>placed at the Middle Narrows by black schists and dark green rocks which, stiike south-by east, apparently the same beds which border the north shore of the bay to the east. The contact line bends around from the north shore, touching the islands, and strikes the south shore Just south of the nar- rows. There the contact is a sharp line runiung with the strike, but ha\irig a few parallc' flykes of granite, apparently tilling breaks made along the bedtling near the contact. A few scattered dark angular fi-agments are seen in the granite. .Mnrlijf The rocks of Marble Bay, on the north, aie continuations of the altered (|uart/-porphyry and rusty cherty bed which is seen directly to tlf west. These are followed to the north-east by tine-giviined light green altei-ed rocks and by marble-liki- rock, d(»es not seem to form a well defined lied, but looks rather like an irregular mass. At the end of tht,' bay, dark ciystalline rock is seen, altered to a serpentine or something of that nature. ifT. The eastern part of the lake is divided into two parts by a string of islands, with a large one, Mackenzie Island, at the north end. The northern ])art forms a lontc narrow arm running to the north east and is named Slate Bav. from the many exposures of this rock rininint' ]iarallel to the north shore, and also exjujsed on the north shore of Mackenzie Island. The slate band of the north shore is found to be Hanked on both sides by agglomerate. That on the soutb side is a dark -green nia-ss, in which large lumps of slightly harder rock aie cemented together hy material similar in colour, but weathering some- what more readily. Fractures along the bedding show a very lumpy surface. This bed may prove to be of volcanic origin, and it was re- cognized in two place.s, on a point at the west end of the bay and on another opposite Mackenzie Island. Slater and glijim rates. OOWIINO 1 HUKOSIAN OK KKI) I.AKK. 40 F On tlie northern (hIj,'o of tlio slaUi Itiuid, ii luirrow strip of lii,'h(t'r coloured slate, holding lumps or Im'cii tTodcil tlin»u;,'li thi- it'iitrc t>t" iiii oval meant' iiitnisiv(! grauitt', whicli oiiupit's a pait nt' the soulli shnrt', scsfial small islands in the niiddlo, parts ut' islands ncai' (lie outlet and lliu southtu'ii part of Macken/.io Island. The contact witli tho lluroniiin on all sidou shows tho inti'usivo nature of this ;.;mnite innsH. The schists (in the snulh, strike approximately parallel to the eon- tact, following; around the tjranite, while Keg Lake, but a series of finegrained greenish gray, thinly lam- inated, chloritic schists, with h^ntioular patches atid thin partings of calcite, lie to the north. These end at the graniti', appearing only on its eastern side. Hiiniiiian of Ki>,' Mild ( lull RiK'k Ijuki'n. /ii>f/is of' Ki'ij Ijttkf and (lull /tm-k Luka. < >n Keg l^ake, h(isid(( the daik sciiist.s, a very i|uart/.ose, line-grained, black roik holding crystals of cpiartz, is founil at tho outlet, followed by spotted green rocks, which may prove to be volcanic agglomerates. NHitssiiii of till' rifli;!'. slopo is sfiiul and gravol witl roiirnlcd houldors. Several steps or terraces, are also nott'd, luit they continue hut sliort distances, and from the laktMio jsucli ctintinuous line can he traced. On the aurt'ace of the ritlge. lar^e houMcrs arc found, the crest bein<^ well covered with them, hut they occupy a narrow belt only, as the slope to the south, though less ahiupt than to the north, commences imme- diately. The general appearance of the ridge is not that of an ordinary land moraine, hut suggests a moraine or accumulation along the front of an ice-sheet terminating in water of considerable depth, in which the debris has been somewhat evenly distributed. To the north of this ridge, in the Trout Lake country, there is a light coating of sand and gravel, but a much greater numberof boulders is seen on the surface than to the south. The same in a less degree is true of the region to the east. On Trout Lake, the large island named Cat Island, is capi)ed by, and appears to be mostly composed of sand and gr -el similar to that of the big ridge, and is of about the same e]e\ ation. Other hills immediately north of the ridge may possibly be of the same nature. I South of th(> ridge, the boulder-clay is found in a great many places to he covered by stratitied deposits, and a number t)f occurrences may be cited. On Lac Seul, at the Hudson's Bay Company's post, terraces of sand show sections on the lak(^ shore of twenty to thirty feet of clearly stratitied beds with clay partings. In one instance, several feet in lengtli of a thin bed is i-ontortcd, evidently from the pressure of a large mass of floating ice. Tiie beds beneath and above are not so disturbed. On the south shore, clifl's of sand, which reach a height of about eighty or one hundred feet, are apparently continuations of the ter- races at the post, and are no doubt stratified likewise. On Weniustegao Lake, just north of the western end of Lac Seul, stratitied Ijeds of sanfl, fifteen to twenty feet thick, are seen on the eastern shore. The valley of the Mattawa is chanicterized by stratified material containing more clay or silt, hut cajiped by sands at about {\w level of Lac .Seul. Again, on the streams coming from the north, tlie country cut through is found to have a considerable depth of stratified deposits in tiie valleys, which, although partly river deposit, is nevertheless often spread over a wi.ie plain, as at the east of Little Shoal Lake, and then seems to be earlier than the present river-valley- On (lull iiock Lake, beds of sand averaging twenty feet are shown in dill's on the south-west side, and similar deposits are also found in some OOWltNA STRATIFIED ORIKT DEPOSITS. 53 parts of Tldd Fiake. To the south, on Long-legged Lake, there is not apparently so much of this stratified material, but local examples of sand-banks are found on the English River oelow Mattawa. It might seem probable that the high ridf^e to the north indicates Origin of tlie the eastern limit of the great glacial Lake Afjassiz, because of its great w',"its"^" ' " elevation and the undoubted lake-deposit on its western and southern front. There appears to be, however, no definite informa- tion that these deposits continue beyond the basin occupied by Lac Seul, Shallow Lake, Gull Rock Lake and Red K-^ke, and they may thus indicate a lake of much smaller dimensions. At present, there seems no reason to suppose that the outlet of this basin through the valley of the English River, had t;ver been dammed up to a greater extent than eighty feet by morainic deposits, but a possible barrier might have been formed by the presence of two small confluent glaciers on the higher ground on eithev side. Between the hills bordering the west shore of Shallow Lake Kidgcs near and the ridge running north-east from the northern end of the *^h'ill<>w Lake, lake, there is a wide, lov/ flat, through which the Red Lake River runs, but two rather prominent hills seem partially to bar the exit of this stream, and it finally reaches Shallow Lake by making a detour to the east around them. They are seen to be narrow ridges lying about west-south-west and east-north-east, and from exposures on their slopes, are known to consist almost wholly of boulders and gravel, well polished and rounded. Their height above the surrounding low country was found to be about 170 feet. The crest of each, is a narrow ridge sloping abruptly on each side. Large angular boulders of gneiss and granite are found on the southern slope. The northern is in the form of three or four narrow terrace-like steps, showing only the well- rounded gravel and boulders on faces of the steeper slopes. The origin of these hills is probably the same as that of the Trout Lake ridge, except that the position and direction would appear and indicate that they are lateral moraines. Smaller ridges of morainic material are crossed or cut through by the same stream a short distance to the north-west. In the valley of tha upper waters of Berens River, the mantle of Heieii'< River drift is of a variable thickness. On the heigiit-of-land on the south "'*"'*i"- and east, there seems to be very little but loose boulders, with some sand and clay. Lower in the basin, there is more sand with the same abundance of boulders. In one place on the lower part of White River, tlark clay was found lying immediately above the rock, with sand on the surface. ' \lr '. i i, ?:i| fir 51 P DISTRICT OF KREWATIN. Lanrls suit- able for airri- culturf re- stri(.'t(tl. Gliiciiil markings and polisliing are here again everywhere noticeable, but on weathered surfaces not very distinct. The general direction of glaeiation a})pears to have been from tht; north-west. At *he south end of Pekaiigikum Lake the itria- run S. ."50 W., but further to the east on Fairy Lake, they run west, thus showing considerable local dellection. At the first fall above Sturgeon F^ake, a ridge of sand and gravel .seems to be cut by tlie river. High banks of sand and gravel are shown at the portage and a ridge is said to extend t<} the south a long distance. On the White lliver, about south-west from the above place, the stream cuts througli a deposit of sand and Ijoulders. No section was seen, but the bed of the stream contains an increasetl nuiuljer of boulders. The agricultural possil)ilities of this valley seem to be limited, and the areas suitable for cultivation are only to be found in isolated patches. These are principally in the neighbourhood of the larger lakes. The Indian reserves have been located with this end in view as they seem to cover .about the best land seen. The soil is a light gniy clay with a little vegetable mould, and the gartlens made by the Indians produce potatoes of fair quality, the only vegetable grown. In the southern part of the district, better land is found and in greater extent than in the Herens lliver valley. (Jn Lac 8cul, at the mission and ti-ading jxtst, there are several very good gardens in a Hourishing condition, with all the ordinary vegetables growing very satisfactorily. The Indians appear t(» care little for any ganlening except a very primitive attempt at raising potatoes. Land suitable for gardening was seen at Mattawa, and indee«l the best and largest extent for this purpose is to be found l>etween I..;ic 8eul and Shallow Lake. The country is well coveriKl by timl»er but .)f small .average growth. The samly-tracts are generally w '^'^■>>v;^ /^''V.'*' 1^^/ > '^V//^^. .//<;/.' Wii/jof/aA'C'Ltikel A ' ^SofulMnri litHi Shalloii'ljaJce -^(^ y- - - '- ■ ■ ^\ ^ 50"i(j 93° so' 93" 9' PROVINCE or ONTARJO. Vicinity of Red Lake and part of Berens lliver. Jccmnparu/iny JhrtF,. Vol. VII , J89'J'. 576 Natural Scale 54tH,B80. ii'c