CHAP. xvr. CANADIAN EARTHQUAKES. 261 



Year Month Remarks 



1856 May 1 . .At Ottawa and its vicinity. 



1857 October . . In the Upper Province. 



1858 January 15 . .At Niagara. 



May 10 . .At Richmond, slight. 



1859 . .At Metis (Lower St. Lawrence). 



1860 October 17 . . Very violent at the River Ouelle, and 



other places in the Lower St. Law- 

 rence ; chirnnevs were thrown down, 

 and walls damaged. 



1861 July 12 . . Violent at Ottawa, throwing down 



chimneys. 



The number of earthquakes which have visited Canada 

 since its discovery by Europeans has been at least twenty- 

 nine,* but it is highly probable that this enumeration 

 falls far short of the actual occurrences of this phenomenon. 

 Eespecting the fire mountain of the Nasquapees north of 

 Lake Manicouagan, about 200 miles from the coast, too 

 little is known to assert positively that it is an active 

 volcano. The name is suggestive, although it is probable 

 that, from the long intercourse between many families 

 of this people and the fur traders, such a remarkable 

 feature of the country would have been known to them. 



Lake Manicouagan was visited by a Jesuit missionary 

 in 1664, but although he mentions the earthquakes, he 

 does not allude to the fire mountain. 



Assuming that there existed in the great peninsula of 

 Labrador no other combustible material besides the 

 stunted trees, there would be good ground for attributing 

 the 'Dark Days of Canada' to some other agency than that 

 of burning vegetable matter ; but when we reflect that 

 the country is almost everywhere covered with a thick 

 coat of lichens and mosses where these have not been 



* Notes on the Earthquake of October I860. 



